It was 1985 when Valentino Garavani showed his first menswear collection in Milan, and now, the brand has made the decision to return to the cobbled city to reimagine a dedicated menswear show on June 16, breaking away from Valentino's three-year stint as a co-ed show on the womenswear schedule.
Entitled The Narratives, the show will take place at the Università degli Studi di Milano Statale in the city of Milan, where Pierpaolo Piccioli has made the decision to show on the opening day of Milano Fashion Week, inviting students of the university to experience the show live.
The choice of Milan is not only significant to the Maison's history, but signifies a moment in time where Italy's fashion capital is alive with innovation and inspiration, allowing Valentino to pay homage to its roots while looking ahead into the future – a line that Piccioli consistently walks in his stewardship of the House.
This season, Valentino bids its married men's/women's show model farewell, and greets menswear as a singularly powerful moment. As with all of Piccioli's work, the collection will continue to converse with womenswear, however menswear will now have a space of its own, symbolizing Piccioli’s redefinition of masculine codes and the growing importance of menswear in the Valentino universe.
Following the themes of men's silhouettes in the past few co-ed collections, we can expect to see an emphasis on signature menswear staples like fluid tailoring, poplin shirting, ties (surely, the ties will be present), and embellished details. Throughout this year alone, the Brand's focus on menswear has increased noticeably, dressing stars like Pedro Pascal, and on-boarding brand ambassadors like BTS member Suga, to Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Chinese singer-songwriter Li Ronghao.
The Valentino The Narratives Menswear show will be presented as part of Milan Fashion Week, and will be streamed live on valentino.com and through the Maison’s social channels.