Valentino’s Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli To Leave The Brand

Saturday Mar. 23, 2024

Fashion designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, pictured with the Valentino team at the brand’s fall/winter haute couture show at Chateau de Chantilly in 2023, will step down as creative director. Photo / Getty Images

Yet another end-of-an-era announcement for the fashion industry has been made this week after the revelation that Dries Van Noten will be stepping down as creative director at his namesake brand, with news breaking that Pierpaolo Piccioli will leave Valentino.

Valentino’s longtime creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, on Friday announced his departure after 25 years at the storied Italian fashion house.

In an emotional statement shared on Instagram, Piccioli reflected on his 25-year tenure with the brand, thanking co-founders Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti and the team that contributed to the brand’s success during his time. The designer, known for infusing Valentino with contemporary romance and bold creativity, will leave as the brand prepares to usher in a “new creative organisation.”

Joining Valentino in 1999 as an accessory designer with Maria Grazia Chiuri, Piccioli ascended to co-creative director in 2008. Piccioli’s solo reign began in 2016 after Chiuri’s departure to Dior, marking a period of profound influence on Valentino’s aesthetic and global brand image.

A model wears a creation as part of the Valentino fall/winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear collection presented on March 3 in Paris. Photo / Invision via AP

Piccioli, a native of Nettuno with a background in literature from Rome University, started his fashion career with an internship at Brunello Cucinelli before moving on to a crucial role at Fendi with Chiuri. Their partnership proved foundational, propelling Valentino into a new era where traditional charm met contemporary edge — a transition epitomised by the introduction of the now iconic Rockstud motif.

The departure of Piccioli heralds the end of a chapter for Valentino. As the fashion world looks on, Valentino has announced a forthcoming “new creative organisation” to usher in a fresh creative vision for the brand’s future.