Valentino and creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli are parting ways, with a new creative director set to be unveiled soon.
Piccioli who began working at Valentino as an accessories designer was named Co-creative director in 2008. He then took over as the only creative director in 2016 when Chiuri left to join Dior. The announcement arrives just as the French luxury conglomerate Kering had acquired a 30% stake in Valentino, with plans to eventually take over the company. Valentino praised Piccioli’s vision, commitment, and inventive spirit for significantly influencing the Maison’s course and a significant period in the business’s history.
Piccioli was born in Nettuno, Italy, where he studied literature at Rome University, interned at Brunello Cucinelli, and joined Fendi’s team with Chiuri after graduation. Known for his love of art more than his merchandise, Piccioli said in his press release “Not all stories have a beginning or an end; some live in a kind of eternal present that shines so brightly that it won’t produce any shadows. 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 that is mine and ours. Everything existed and exists thanks to the people I met, with whom I worked, with whom I shared dreams and created beauty, and with whom I built something that belongs to all and that remains immutable and tangible.”
