EXCLUSIVE: Valentino to Hold Fall 2026 Show in Rome

MILAN — Valentino will exceptionally hold its next fashion show in Rome, decamping from Paris for one season.

Unveiling the brand’s fall 2026 collection, the event will be held on March 12 in a still undisclosed location.

The couture house was founded in Rome by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti in 1960 and its headquarters remain in Piazza Mignanelli.

A brief statement noted that returning to Rome marks creative director Alessandro Michele’s “homage to the origins and enduring heritage of Maison Valentino,” and that the brand will return to Paris with the subsequent fashion show.

Michele has strong ties to Rome, his hometown, and, when he was creative director of Gucci, he held that brand’s cruise 2020 collection at the Capitoline Museums, a group of art and archeological museums dubbed as the most antique in the world, founded in 1471.

Michele joined Valentino in March 2024, succeeding Pierpaolo Piccioli.

Valentino last held a show in Rome in July 2022, when Piccioli unveiled the brand’s fall 2022 haute couture on Piazza Mignanelli and on the nearby landmark Spanish Steps.

The restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic drove Piccioli to hold Valentino’s fall 2020 couture show, “Of Grace and LIght,” in July that year at the Cinecittà studios outside Rome in front of a very small group of journalists. The performance included a striking video filmed by Nick Knight, followed by a presentation of 15 white gowns as high as 16 feet worn by the likes of Mariacarla Boscono and Vittoria Ceretti perched on swings suspended from the ceiling or installed on towering, hidden platforms.

Piazza Mignanelli was also the location for Valentino’s fall 2015 couture show back in July 2015, when the brand was designed by both Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri, coinciding with the “Mirabilia Romae Diffused Exhibition” that underscored their ties with the city.

Valentino has seen some recent C-suite changes, with chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini, who joined in September succeeding Jacopo Venturini, gradually building his team. Earlier this month, Bellini promoted Laurent Bergamo to deputy CEO and Davide Tosi was named chief merchandising officer.