The founder of the Valentino fashion house, Valentino Garavani, has passed away.

Valentino Garavani, the Italian fashion designer and founder of the world-renowned fashion house Valentino, has passed away at the age of 93, as reported by WWD.
Photo from the archive. Founder of the Valentino fashion house Valentino Garavani has died
He died on January 19 at his residence in Rome, surrounded by family and loved ones. The designer will be laid to rest on January 21 and 22 at Minyanelli Square, with the funeral planned for Friday at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.

Valentino Garavani was born on May 11, 1932, in the small town of Voghera in northern Italy. At the age of 17, he moved to Paris, where he studied at the School of Fine Arts and the Syndicate of High Fashion. After returning to Rome in 1959, he co-founded the fashion house in 1960 with Giancarlo Giammetti.
Photo from the archive. Some Valentino dresses are exhibited in museums around the world and have been worn by many celebrities
The first successful collection show that attracted international clients took place in Florence in 1962. One of his first clients was Jacqueline Kennedy, who in 1964 purchased six dresses for mourning her husband, former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

In 1998, Valentino Garavani and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti sold the Valentino brand to the Italian conglomerate HdP for $300 million, and in 2002, the Marzotto Appareli company bought it back.

In 2007, Garavani announced the end of his career in the fashion world after his last show in Paris.

Some of his dresses have long been exhibited in museums around the world and continue to be worn by many celebrities.