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ValentinoValentino Garavani was born in Voghera, north of Milan on May 11, 1932. While attending high school he shows a precocious artistic temperament and soon becomes interested in fashion. He takes courses in fashion design and studies French to prepare himself to move to Paris. He is 17 years old when he arrives in the then world capital of fashion and couture. After a few years' apprenticeship in the Fashion Houses of Jean Desses and Guy Laroche. Valentino returns to Rome at the beginning of the 60s to open his own atelier in Via Condotti. Those are the years of the Dolce Vita and many Hollywood stars who come through Rome discover Valentino and determine his quick fame. Valentino's international debut takes place in 1962 in Florence, the Italian fashion capital of the time. His first show at the Pitti Palace is welcomed as a true revelation and the young couturier is submerged by orders from foreign buyers and enthusiastic comments on the press. His "V" logo is famous all over the world. Women such as Jacqueline Kennedy, Farah Diba and Elizabeth Taylor have worn his creations. By 1965 Valentino has already established himself as the leader of Italian fashion. In 1967 he receives in Dallas, Texas the Neiman Marcus Award, equivalent to the Fashion Oscar. At the end of the 1960's Valentino meets Giancarlo Giannetti, an architecture student who abandons university to become his business partner. Giammetti's entrepreneurial genius will prove fundamental to the worldwide expansion and success of the House. By 1972 Valentino has already launched his women's and men's ready-to-wear collections and has opened his first boutiques in Rome and Milan. In 1978 Valentino launches his perfume during a gala in Paris, where guest star Mikhail Baryshnikov dances Tchaikowski's La Dame de Pique at the théatre des Champs Elisées. In 1986 Valentino is appointed by the President of the Italian Republic "Cavaliere di gran Croce": the Italian highest official award. In 1990, upon the encouragement of their friend Elizabeth Taylor, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti create L.I.F.E., an association for the support of AIDS related patients, which benefits from the activities of the Accademia Valentino. His creations are to this day worn by the most famous and elegant women and men. His designs are classic and timeless.
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