-By Ankita Dutta.
Valentino, the luxury fashion house based in Rome, has announced it will be returning to Milan to showcase its men’s collection. The label decided to discontinue its co-ed shows and opted for a different format after the three-year-long Covid pandemic. From September 2020 to March 2023, Valentino adopted the co-ed shows, but now for its next men’s show, entitled ‘The Narratives,’ the brand will open Milan Fashion Week on June 16 at the historic university, the Università degli Studi di Milano Statale. The brand is inviting students to attend the show, aiming to inspire and stimulate the next generation through a creative exchange.
Milan has always had a strong bond with Valentino, which is presently possessed by Mayhoola, a Qatari investment fund. During the pandemic, the brand moved to Milan to showcase in September 2020 but returned to the capital in February 2021 to hold a closed-door show at the Piccolo Teatro.
The founder of the house, Valentino Garavani, held his very first men’s fashion show in January 1985 in Milan, where the men’s collections continued to be presented until 2012. The creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, building on the menswear’s Milanese beginnings, aims to redefine what was initiated there, taking the men’s wardrobe in an ever more contemporary direction.
Valentino wants to elevate the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear shows by separating them and choosing a different and dedicated location to showcase each collection. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s revamping of masculine norms and the increasing prominence of the men’s fashion segment are now at the forefront. Valentino wants to put greater emphasis on this category, as affirmed by the brand in its statement. The brand wants to highlight the singularly strong moment of menswear, reflected in the
Unboxing Valentino collection. By launching Maison Valentino Essentials, a selection of menswear essentials that rethinks traditional rules and boundaries, the brand aims to push the limits of formal fashion.
Valentino affirmed that the increasing significance of their menswear has been established throughout various seasons. This assertion was made in relation to the designer’s inclination to improve the foundational elements of this line, achieving a more unrestrained and expansive result.
Valentino’s decision to end the co-ed shows is a defining move that reflects the importance of menswear, as demonstrated by the growth of this category over the seasons. By separating the menswear and womenswear shows and giving each of them dedicated locations, Valentino wants to elevate menswear’s status and redefine men’s fashion by pushing beyond its traditional boundaries.
