Valentino nominates Piccioli sole creative director

Fashion house Valentino has nominated Pierpaolo Piccioli as the sole creative director of the Maison, as Maria Grazia Chiuri leaves her role as co-creative director after serving 17 years with the brand and 8 years in her role as co-creative director to pursue a new professional experience.

The Rome based brand showed its autumn/winter 2016 Haute Couture collection in Paris on Wednesday, which was the last joint creation of Chiuri and Piccioli.

“After 25 years of creative partnership and of professional satisfactions we gave ourselves the opportunity of continuing our artistic paths in an individual way with the reciprocal desire of further great achievements,” Chiuri and Piccioli said in a joint statement.

“I have shared with Pierpaolo a great part of my professional life and it has been an experience made of many successful creative achievements together. I am ready to embark on a new professional challenge,” said Chiuri, who thanked Valentino Garavani, Valentino SpA CEO Stefano Sassi and others for their support over the years.

“Valentino and the people with whom I work with are a great part of my life. My decision of bringing forward the creative guide of this Maison is driven by the strong passion that triggers my work and by the desire of continuing to express here my stylistic vision,” said Piccioli.

“Everything achieved in these years would have been impossible without Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s talent, determination and vision that together have contributed into making Valentino one of the most successful fashion companies. A new and exciting phase for the brand begins under the creative leadership of Pierpaolo Piccioli. The brand is strongly determined to continue its affirmation and development process accomplished in the past years,” said Sassi.