The Man Himself

Aristotle said that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts but if Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli has proven anything, it is that one can be even stronger as an individual.

- Allysha Nila

Mystery surrounds the designer. He’s almost always photographed wearing a suit and a cool expression on his face. The fashion world had only seen him as half of a successful creative duo. After all, his creative co-authorship with Maria Grazia Chiuri spanned almost three decades since Fendi in 1989; they joined Valentino together in 1999. No one had any indication of what was done by whom during the partnership.

But after the success of Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection, his first as solo Creative Director, it’s clear that his work stands on its own merit. It’s not a revolution, but it unfolds an invigorating new chapter. While there are still very few interviews on Piccioli, much less about his creative process, he openly takes us through the process of putting the collection together and shares his vision for the brand moving forward.

What was the starting point of the Spring/Summer 2017 collection?

I took inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch’s painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights. It represents the important change between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

How did looking at Bosch lead to the work of British designer Zandra Rhodes?