Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, according to a statement shared on his Instagram.
Garavani died on January 19 at his home in Rome, Italy, according to a statement shared on his personal Instagram account and by the Valentino foundation. The post said he passed away surrounded by loved ones at his Roman residence.
A funeral for the designer is scheduled to take place on January 23 in Rome. Additional details about public memorial events were also included in the announcement shared on social media.
Funeral details and public tributes
The statement confirmed that a lying in state will be held at PM23 in Piazza Mignanelli 23 on January 21 and January 22, from 11 AM to 6 PM The funeral will take place on Friday, January 23, at 11 AM at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Piazza della Repubblica in Rome.
Following the announcement, tributes began appearing in the comments of the Instagram post. Pierpaolo Piccioli, who previously served as creative director of Valentino, commented with a broken heart emoji.
Garavani was widely known as a favorite designer among celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, and Anne Hathaway.
In 1960, Garavani met Giancarlo Giammetti, who became his longtime business partner. The two were also in a romantic relationship for 12 years. Garavani later became internationally recognized for his signature red dresses, with his profile rising after Jackie Kennedy purchased and wore several of his designs following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She later wore a Valentino gown for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
“I know what women want,” Garavani said in the 2008 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor. “They want to be beautiful.”
Garavani appeared as himself in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada and was the subject of the 2008 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, which followed the final two years of his career. He announced his retirement in 2007, with his final haute couture show taking place in January 2008 at the Musée Rodin in Paris.
Back in September 2025, iconic fashion designer Giorgio Armani died after an illness at 91 years old.
