Valentino is gearing up for its couture collection to be shown in Venice on July 15, but market sources say the Rome-based house is working on another project that will see the light by the end of the year.
According to the rumors, Valentino and its creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli are forging partnerships with a number of vintage stores around the world. Owners of Valentino vintage pieces will be encouraged to submit them to the boutiques in exchange for store credit to use on new Valentino collections.
It is understood Valentino is working with the most prestigious and qualified vintage stores around the world, such as Madame Pauline in Milan, for example.
As Valentino already has structured and expansive archives, this project is meant to create a cycle of loyalty and added service to its customers, one source believes, as the vintage clothes and accessories will be carefully and fairly evaluated by knowledgeable experts. The source also said Valentino may choose to present these findings in some way through its own stores or other platforms.
Sustainability is also a key element of this initiative. The couture house has increasingly been focusing on environmental issues, announcing in May that it would go fur-free starting from 2022.
Fashion is linked to the body and to movement.
Art, however, is completely free from constraint.
Pierpaolo Piccioli latest’s Valentino Haute Couture brings art into conversation with fashion, transmuting surfaces, animating works into motion.
Experience the entire collection, shown this evening in Venice’s Gaggiandre, Arsenale, and set to the sounds of @cos1ma.
A project by @pppiccioli
Curated by @gianluigi_ricuperati