Dior is reportedly seeking compensation from Valentino after the Italian brand’s latest haute couture show “disrupted” footfall to one of its stores.
Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli showcased his autumn/winter 2022/2023 collection on Rome’s famous Spanish Steps on Friday 8 July.
The event was attended by a plethora of stars including Anne Hathaway, Naomi Campbell, Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.
Hathaway and Pugh were among those dressed in Valentino’s signature fuchsia pink hue, with the Lady Macbeth star later forced to defend her transparent outfit choice after she received “vulgar” comments about her body.
While the event attracted a slew of famous faces, passersby and plenty of media attention, it has also apparently resulted in a complaint from Dior.
In a letter seen by Women’s Wear Daily, the French fashion house’s Italian arm reportedly asked Valentino for compensation for disruption caused to its nearby Dior boutique.
Dior has a location on the corner of Via dei Condotti, approximately one minute’s walk from the Spanish Steps.
The letter claimed that Valentino had been applying for permits to stage the event in a key location from local authorities for months, and had informed retailers in the area about its plans.
In a notice sent out to the retailers on 27 June, Valentino said it “guaranteed regular foot traffic to the stores”, but Dior said this was “not reflected in any way” on the evening of the event.
Dior said the show instead “hampered” access to its store, and that its customers were “refused access and blocked at the barriers”.
Highlighting the alleged damage to its business, Dior said its store “remained empty and could not operate from the early hours of the afternoon”.
It said this was “amplified” by the event beind held on a Friday – “a day when surely proceeds are [significant]”.
According to the letter, the French designer is asking for €100,000 (£84,000) to be paid in 15 days.
If the full amount is not received in two weeks, Dior will “adopt all the necessary measures to protect its rights”, the letter apparently said.
The Independent has contacted Valentino and Dior for comment.
The couture show, named “The Beginning”, marked a return to Rome where Valentino Garavani founded the atelier back in 1959.
Speaking to Vogue ahead of the spectacle, Piccioli said he envisioned the show as “a conversation with Valentino” across the past, future and present.
“I wanted to get the spirit of Valentino – the joie de vivre – because I think it’s the only way of making beauty resilient to the time. On the other hand, there’s a picture I want to deliver, which is different from what it was 45 years ago,” he explained.
“It’s the picture of what we live in. The Spanish Steps are the same, the atelier is the same, and in the end, clothes are clothes. I like to keep the rituals of haute couture. But the real difference is in the casting – in the humans – that can tell stories and witness a different moment in this world. I want to empower them and give them a voice and the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
