Valentino has returned to Milan men’s fashion week with a spring/summer 2024 collection that explores “what makes a man today.” Entitled “Valentino The Narratives,” creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a proposal that combines classic elegance with contemporary experimentation.
The fashion show, which took place in the garden of the University of Milan, was attended by students, journalists and personalities from the fashion world, as well as a live performance by rap and indie musician d4vd. Piccioli wanted to bring his message to a young and diverse audience, breaking the elitism of the fashion circuits and generating a dialogue to promote change.
The collection was inspired by the novel “A Small Life” by Hanya Yanagihara, which tells the intimate and human story of four male friends, with their vulnerabilities, fragilities and strengths. Phrases from the book have been printed on a black suit and jeans, as a way of expressing male sensibility.
Piccioli has worked on sartorial codes, softening the proportions of off-the-shoulder jackets, replacing pants with shorts and skirts, embroidering flowers on lapels or printing enlarged flowers on light jackets and straight shirts. Piccioli’s painterly palette, with mint, raspberry, turquoise and deep pink tones alternating with black and white, has emphasized a sense of individual vitality and an attitude of romantic freedom. “I am against any aesthetic dictates,” he has stated.
Valentino has not only wanted to create beautiful pieces, but also to convey something meaningful on a deep level. That is why he has chosen the University of Milan as the setting, as it is a place of education and knowledge. In addition, Valentino will sponsor scholarships for students through a donation to the university; and it will also commit to sustainability, recycling the materials for the fashion show in collaboration with Spazio META, a company that offers services for the recovery of used materials. It will also plant an oak tree in the public gardens of Porta Venezia, closing the circle of good practices that Piccioli and Valentino are pursuing.
