This week really is the week of designer exits: celebrated designer Pierpaolo Piccioli is leaving Valentino, news that comes just days after Dries Van Noten announced he was leaving his eponymous label.
On Friday afternoon, Maison Valentino issued a statement confirming its creative director is departing after 25 years at the brand. His successor will be announced soon, the brand said.
'Pierpaolo Piccioli has significantly shaped the Maison’s trajectory with his vision, dedication, and innovative spirit, influencing a pivotal chapter in the company’s history,' a statement from the Rome-based company read.
Piccioli said of his leaving:
Not all stories have a beginning or an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines so bright 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, with whom I built something that belongs to all, and that remains immutable and tangible. This heritage of love, dreams, beauty and humanity, I carry it with me, today and forever.
'I am grateful to Pierpaolo for his role as creative director and for his vision, commitment and creativity that have brought the Maison Valentino to what it stands for today,' added chief executive officer Jacopo Venturini.
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Piccioli was named sole creative director of the brand in July 2016, after sharing the title with Maria Grazia Chiuri (the current Dior creative director) since 2008. He joined the company in 1999 to lead its accessories division. Maison Valentino was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti and has been worn by numerous celebrities over the years, from Florence Pugh to Serena Williams.
'Pierpaolo was instrumental in putting Valentino back at the forefront of fashion, bringing a fresh creative energy to the brand, and infusing its couture heritage with a younger spirit,' said ELLE UK's fashion features director Tamison O'Connor.
Piccioli is well known for his powerful use of colour to convey his artistic vision. Last month, following the popularity of its era-defining AW22 all-pink collection, the designer presented a black-heavy AW24 collection, inspired by artists Mark Rothko, Pierre Soulages and Constantin Brâncuși: '[It's] the discovery of an entire spectrum of shades, infinitely nuanced, within one,' the show notes read.
News of Piccioli's departure comes days after Belgian designer Dries Van Noten announced that he was stepping down as creative director of his namesake label after 38 years. 'Now I want to shift my focus to all the things I never had the time for. I’m sad, but at the same time happy,' Van Noten announced on Instagram.
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