On Monday (Jan. 19), Valentino Garavani, the Italian fashion designer and founder of the Valentino brand, passed away at the age of 93.
TMZ reports the news was confirmed by the designer’s foundation, which shared an official statement via Instagram. According to the post, Garavani died, surrounded by family in his residence in Rome, Italy. A formal “lying in state” or viewing will take place at the PM23 on both Wednesday, Jan. 21st, and Thursday, Jan. 22nd, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The funeral will take place on Friday, January 23rd, at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome, at 11 a.m. Born in the Italian province of Pavia in 1932, Garavani’s interest in fashion began early. His love only grew after he became an apprentice for his aunt, a local designer. He would go on to found one of the most prominent fashion houses in Italy and later the world in 1960.
“Since I was a child, I loved the way a dress looks,” Garavani said in an interview
During an interview, he spoke about being a young designer in Paris and revealed that while he thought his designs were “quite good,” he never thought he’d reach the level of stardom he did.
“My dear, when you start it’s quite difficult to dream for everybody. But of course you have aspirations. I did a very important collection in 1968 and I realized that I was quite good. All the magazines and everybody came to visit me. I became quite well known for my glamour and my femininity and women started to love my clothes.”
He also spoke about how much “beauty” inspired him as a creator. “Beauty is the most important. Since I was a child I loved the way a dress looks, I admired a great face, a lovely body. I enjoy the beauty in a woman, in a man, in a child, in a painting. Beautiful things are important and make life important. Since I was a kid I’ve been encouraging myself to appreciate beauty.”
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