Valentino - The All-Things Valentino Thread

[PDFSD]

@misstweedoffical is giving a hot tea on that Valentino shake up. Apparently the abrupt departure of PPP was caused by the spat with CEO Jacobo Venturini. Also, Alessandro Michele will be appointed as creative director as early as this week to keep the company afloat and not loosing additional FW (Menswear and HC cancelled as we already know).

she is usually very informed and on point and not afraid to say things word for word how they are actually relayed to her. :-) .

 

[Salvatore]

Just saw Michele was announced ! Rhooo

 

[Creative]

I think I am not prepared for more Alessandro Michele.

 

[Kimihiro]

At least their accessory division has hope. I’m wondering if the couture will come with the usual Michele excess but we’ll see.

 

[Kanzai]

I'm neutral toward him so whatever 🙊. Time will tell

 

[pradn]

If Michele is official, so his "twins" also will be joining the Valentino Gang.

www.chrishughesetc.com

HE'S BAAACKKKK....

 

[youthinasia]

If Michele is official, so his "twins" also will be joining the Valentino Gang.
View attachment 1255533
www.chrishughesetc.com

HE'S BAAACKKKK....

Does your prolapse hang low, does it wobble to-and-fro. Can you tie it in a knot, can you tie it in a bow. Can you throw it o'er your shoulder, like a continental soldier. Does your prolapse hang, low.

 

[GoldenTribe]

I stared at that picture for more than 15 seconds trying to get the joke before I remembered that Jared Leto and Alessandro Michele are two different people. (Not snark, actual fact.)

 

[LadyJunon]

I was scrolling through Valentino's Instagram (gathering material for an analysis on PPP's tenure) and I found this post from 2017:

This acquisition has probably been in talks for a very long time.

 

[Lola701]

I was scrolling through Valentino's Instagram (gathering material for an analysis on PPP's tenure) and I found this post from 2017:

This acquisition has probably been in talks for a very long time.

You are probably reading too much into this even if it’s not impossible (But Valentino was smaller back then while growing and Kering was at the top already, so they could have went for a full acquisition).
Kering has been a sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival since 2015.

They have some events around women in cinema where they gives prizes (and money) and this was a dinner.

Considering the number of brands involved in Cannes and the fact that Brand Ambassadors practices were mostly between Chanel, Vuitton and Dior, i don't think the fact that an actress was wearing Valentino at that event is indicative of anything.

 

[LadyJunon]

You are probably reading too much into this even if it’s not impossible (But Valentino was smaller back then while growing and Kering was at the top already, so they could have went for a full acquisition).
Kering has been a sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival since 2015.

They have some events around women in cinema where they gives prizes (and money) and this was a dinner.

Considering the number of brands involved in Cannes and the fact that Brand Ambassadors practices were mostly between Chanel, Vuitton and Dior, i don't think the fact that an actress was wearing Valentino at that event is indicative of anything.

That makes so much more sense. I wasn't sure, because Women In Action has become very Kering donimated in recent years.

 

[LadyJunon]

This BoF article gives a few hints on the reason for PPP's departure. Despite the critical acclaim of his couture collection, his ready-to-wear and accessories didn't do as well commercially. Apparently, his "long leash" direction and the inconsistent image across the brand caused the ready-to-wear and accessory lines to wield inconsistent results. On top of that, the bottom line was depending heavily on their "Vlogo" and "Rockstud" lines. This probably explains why Michele is replacing the higher-ups of Valentino's design team.

Pierpaolo Piccioli Is Exiting Valentino
A new creative configuration will be announced soon, the Roman couture house said.

By ROBERT WILLIAMS, VIKRAM ALEXEI KANSARA
22 March 2024

BoF PROFESSIONAL
Pierpaolo Piccioli is parting ways with Valentino after almost eight years as the Roman couture house’s sole creative director, according to the company, which called the move a “joint decision.”

A new creative configuration will be announced soon, the company said.

Piccioli joined Valentino in 1999 to oversee accessories alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri. In 2007, the duo were handpicked by founder Valentino Garavani to lead the brand’s creative direction after his retirement. In 2016, Piccioli became sole creative director after Chiuri decamped to Parisian couture giant Dior.

“Not all stories have a beginning or an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines so bright that it won’t produce any shadows,” said Piccioli. “I’ve been in this company for 25 years, and for 25 years I’ve existed and I’ve lived with the people who have woven the weaves of this beautiful story.”

During his tenure, Piccioli earned broad acclaim for the extravagant poetry of his haute couture collections, in which bombastic proportions and bold colours were styled with a tossed-on, youthful edge. As the face of one of the industry’s most effective celebrity operations, Piccioli forged close ties with A-list names like Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and more.

“I am grateful to Pierpaolo for his role as creative director and for his vision, commitment and creativity that have brought the Maison Valentino to what it stands for today,” said Valentino chief executive Jacopo Venturini.

Last year, French conglomerate Kering acquired 30 percent of Valentino for €1.7 billion — implying a valuation north of €5 billion — as part of a broader partnership with Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which controls the brand. The agreement gave Kering the option to acquire 100 percent of Valentino “no later than 2028.” In a two-hour presentation to investors announcing the deal, Kering gave a single nod to the brand’s “recognised creative direction” without mentioning Piccioli by name.

While Piccioli consistently delivered memorable fashion moments with his haute couture outings, efforts to diversify and reinvigorate Valentino’s ready-to-wear and accessories business have delivered uneven results. In recent years the designer worked with CEO Jacopo Venturini to revamp the brand’s store offer with the aim of drawing a clearer link between collections and the brand’s couture image with mixed results (the brand still relies heavily on a few items like V-logo belts and studded bags and pumps).

Sales rose 10 percent to €1.4 billion in 2022.

While Piccioli had a hands-on approach to crafting Valentino’s show concepts, image and celebrity activations, the 56 year-old creative director was known to give a long leash to his design teams. Following Piccioli’s exit, which comes on the back of former ready-to-wear director Sabato De Sarno’s departure last year, observers will be keeping a close eye on whether key behind-the-scene figures like Yvan Mispelaere — who helms the brand’s couture operation — or Gabriele Cusimano — who oversees women’s ready-to-wear and celebrity design — remain in place.

Piccioli’s departure comes on the heels of other high-profile exits at Valentino owner Mayhoola. Stablemate Balmain’s CEO Jean-Jacques Guevel as well as its marketing chief Txampi Diz both exited the company in the past two weeks.

Piccioli joins star designers like Alessandro Michele and Sarah Burton as creative directors without a house, a situation that could change as the industry braces for a designer shakeup.

In addition to Valentino, brands including Dries Van Noten (whose founder announced he would step down this week), Givenchy and Lanvin are all currently missing a designer. As demand for luxury fashion cools following a pandemic-era surge, several listed megabrands are also frequently rumoured to be looking for creative directors who could help open a new cycle of growth.

Interestingly enough, there are also plans to launch a "High Perfume" line with L'Oréal, who acquired their "beauty" license back in 2019. This venture will probably follow the same model as their Armani Privé line.

Valentino to Launch High Perfume Range
L’Oréal revealed the line to press and buyers at an event in Paris ahead of a late spring release. The new range comes amid growing interest in ultra-prestige scents.

By ROBERT WILLIAMS
13 February 2024

BoF PROFESSIONAL
PARIS – L’Oréal is preparing to launch the first haute parfumerie range for Roman fashion house Valentino, the beauty conglomerate revealed to press and buyers at an event in Paris Tuesday.

The line of new scents inspired by Valentino’s haute couture universe will combine traditional perfuming techniques with innovative Italian ingredients like green tangerine from Calabria and Sicilian olive wood.

One scent is set to feature a new tuberose component born from an exclusive partnership inked last year between L’Oréal and perfume supplier Cosmo for its next-generation long extraction technology, which captures flowers’ scent without using chemical solvents or heat that alter their fragrance.

L’Oréal acquired the license to sell Valentino beauty products five years ago, and has since launched perfumes including the hit “Born in Roma” as well as a colour cosmetics range including lipstick, blushes and skin-brightening foundations.

The new high perfume range, set to be officially revealed to customers later this spring, is inspired by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s couture shows which have sought to rejuvenate and recontextualise the brand’s top-end made-to-measure line. Scents will be bottled in cut-glass bottles sourced from France and Italy.

The announcement comes as L’Oréal works to upscale several of its beauty lines, expanding offers like the Armani Privé high perfume line to balance out a business which has historically been powered by “prestige” products. The prestige segment (referring to the premium fashion fragrances that dominate airport duty-free stores or retailers like Sephora) has bounced back sharply from the pandemic – helping L’Oréal’s luxury division surpass rival Estée Lauder to become the category’s biggest player – but grew more slowly in recent years to the ultra-prestige segment including brands like Creed or Christian Dior’s private line.

Source: BoF

 

[Nimsay]

so basically tfs characterizations are dead on since this is what we have been saying.

 

[alwaysademo]

They didn’t love her.
She would be better at Armani.

The approval of Giammetti still has weight.

It wasn't him:


from

 

[Lola701]

It wasn't him:


from

Ok I’ll take that from GG and act like we didn’t remember that era, even more in the industry. Allegedly Valentino wasn’t a big fan of her work and more so of the great reviews. Maybe those were simply rumors because there was a tension climate around the way Valentino left.

I remember Mr Armani going to support Alessandra, for her Couture I think.

« She failed to drum up interest after a couple of seasons ». She did 3 runway collections: 2 RTW, 1 Couture and 2 precollections that were favorably received. I remember the campaigns by Lindbergh and even Diane Kruger in one of the dress. So she stayed for a year lol.

I also remember how people in the industry (myself included) found ridiculous the drama and tears of Mr Valentino when he finally attended a Valentino show: the debut of MGC and PPP that looked exactly like what he could have done himself.

But it’s not really great for the books. So we are going to act like they were supportive of her. But yes, ultimately, Permira fired her.

 

[alwaysademo]

Ok I’ll take that from GG and act like we didn’t remember that era, even more in the industry. Allegedly Valentino wasn’t a big fan of her work and more so of the great reviews. Maybe those were simply rumors because there was a tension climate around the way Valentino left.

I remember Mr Armani going to support Alessandra, for her Couture I think.

« She failed to drum up interest after a couple of seasons ». She did 3 runway collections: 2 RTW, 1 Couture and 2 precollections that were favorably received. I remember the campaigns by Lindbergh and even Diane Kruger in one of the dress. So she stayed for a year lol.

I also remember how people in the industry (myself included) found ridiculous the drama and tears of Mr Valentino when he finally attended a Valentino show: the debut of MGC and PPP that looked exactly like what he could have done himself.

But it’s not really great for the books. So we are going to act like they were supportive of her. But yes, ultimately, Permira fired her.

Not trying to be snarky, just add reliable sources to a discussion. I respect your knowledge and opinions. I just came by meaning to post his yacht pictures actually..
I find the hot line in that page is the prospect of Proenza Schouler at the helm of Valentino, wonder how that might've looked.

 

[Lola701]

Not trying to be snarky, just add reliable sources to a discussion. I respect your knowledge and opinions. I just came by meaning to post his yacht pictures actually..
I find the hot line in that page is the prospect of Proenza Schouler at the helm of Valentino, wonder how that might've looked.

No I get it. Written words have more weight, even more when it comes to the owner.

I think Permira was part owner of Proenza at the time and they were very instrumental in them producing their bag and things like that.

After that, Permira sold their shares before selling Valentino to Mayhoola.

It would have been interesting indeed even if they didn’t have a clear identity of their own already at the time.

 

[reese06]

I remember hearing during that time that Valentino was not a fan of her work.

I remember Jennifer Aniston wearing one of her gowns to an award show, I thought it was gorgeous. And randomly when I went to see Kathy Griffin at Carnegie hall last year, she was wearing a belt from Alessandra’s 2008 collection.

Her work was more romantic experimental for Valentino but well within the aesthetic of the house. I would have loved to see more. There was a rumor that couture clients didn’t buy her work but who knows if that was true.

 

[alwaysademo]

There was a rumor that couture clients didn’t buy her work but who knows if that was true.

In that same book Giammetti keeps coming back to the clients as well. the clients the clients the clients. I think one aspect I do miss about older designers are their organically cultivated circles, they served as both an unofficial tastemaking/pr team and a kind of safeboat in treacherous circumstances.
Take Dior right now for example, I don't believe any of those ambassadors have anything in common to talk about at a dinner table, so as a group they already fail to convey a clear message of what the house is about for me. Of course they all come with their individual base but it really does dim the whole thing down in terms of elitism.

is it this belt you were talking about? I didn't follow her work too closely at the time so I can't identify.

 

[alwaysademo]

Charlene Shorto (really the ultimate Valentino girl)

Couture clients (Nancy Kissinger, Brooke Astor, Begum Aga Khan, C.Z. Guest, Marie-Hélène, Nan Kempner, Pat Buckley, Jayne Wrightsman, Doris Brynner, Estée Lauder, Annette Reed, Marisa Berenson etc.)