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Italian fashion designer Valentino dies at 93

Designer's foundation says he passes away at his Roman residence

By Reuters
January 19, 2026
Designer Valentino Garavani arrives for the 2019 CFDA Awards at The Brooklyn Museum in New York, U.S., June 3, 2019. — Reuters
Designer Valentino Garavani arrives for the 2019 CFDA Awards at The Brooklyn Museum in New York, U.S., June 3, 2019. — Reuters

Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died, his foundation said on Monday.

Usually known only by his first name, Valentino was 93, and had retired in 2008.

Founder of the eponymous brand, Valentino scaled the heights of haute couture, created a business empire and introduced a new colour to the fashion world, the so-called 'Valentino Red'.

"Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones," the foundation said on Instagram.

The lying-in state will be on Wednesday and Thursday, while the funeral will take place in Rome on Friday at 11 am (1000 GMT), it added.

Valentino was ranked alongside Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld as the last of the great designers from an era before fashion became a global, highly commercial industry run as much by accountants and marketing executives as the couturiers.

Lagerfeld passed away in 2019, while Armani died in September.