Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, one of the most influential couturiers of the 20th century, has died aged 93 at his home in Rome, surrounded by family, according to a statement released by the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation. The designer will lie in state at Piazza Mignanelli in Rome before a funeral service at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs.
Born in Lombardy in 1932, Valentino moved to Paris at just 17 to study at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, later working under Jacques Fath, Balenciaga and Guy Laroche. He co-founded the Valentino fashion house in 1960, quickly becoming synonymous with luxury, craftsmanship and his unmistakable signature shade, 'Valentino red.'
