Pierpaolo Piccioli to Exit Valentino

Major fashion news has been dropping thick and fast this week – from Dries Van Noten exiting his eponymous label as creative director to speculation swirling Michael Kors is planning his departure and already searching for a successor (rumors which have since been debunked by Capri).

Today’s shocker is Pierpaolo Piccioli is to exit Valentino. Taking to his Instagram page, the 56-year-old celebrated designer began his statement: “Not all stories have a beginning and an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines with an intense light, so strong that it leaves no shadows.” After 25-years at the helm of the legendary Italian fashion house and as solo creative director since 2016, Piccioli’s last collection was ultimately the the all-black affair showcased during Paris Fashion Week, unveiled earlier this month.

Revisit the Valentino Fall 2024 collection below:

Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:

“Well… unexpected!” [DK92]

“I was not on the look out for this but can’t say I’m too sad by it. I thoroughly enjoyed his Valentino, his couture was one of the shows I looked forward to each season and believe he gave us some of the most modern propositions of couture/elevated dressing. The all-black collection now makes sense!” [VogueDisciple93]

“GREAT NEWS! I enjoyed his collections, but then it became all one-note, boring, and borderline tacky. [Riccardo] Tisci at Valentino could be good!” [Salvatore]

“For me this is not good news at all. PP has been a wonderful creative director, all the more so since he went solo in 2016. Valentino as we know it today is HIS Valentino. Some collections might have worked better than others and there might have been some sense of fatigue creeping in as of late, but his last RTW collections proved that he could still deliver.” [bc collector]

“What a relief! I absolutely loved his first 2-3 years at Valentino, but really since then, it’s been one cheap, one-dimensional looking mess.” [lookatme]

“Time for a break. His Valentino has gotten a bit one note even though he obviously had the skills.” [tourbillions]

“I think there was a nice story arc with his tenure at Valentino. It doesn’t feel like he overstayed his visit and he’s ready to start a new chapter.” [kikifoz]

Share your own thoughts on Pierpaolo Piccioli exiting Valentino as creative director, here.