Having opened its Fifth Avenue flagship location – a 20,000 square-foot space with 27-foot-high ceilings that set a New York rent record at a staggering $16 million – in August, Maison Valentino took the Big Apple by storm again yesterday. The house unveiled an exhibition of The Five Senses, its collaboration with Italian surrealist design firm Fornasetti, then followed it up with its first ever NYC haute couture show. Both were held at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s former location on Madison Avenue.
Valentino’s creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli collaborated with Barnaba Fornasetti on the capsule collection, which includes stools, porcelain plates, silk scarves and more, all in a joint print of camouflage, illustration and signature Valentino red lips. The exhibition’s curator Francesco Bonami said: “The idea is about luxury that it is not only related to economic or material things. It’s not just about the price – it’s about the possibility to create long-lasting quality that overcomes trends and fashion,” to which Fornasetti added: “I’m enthusiastic about creating something that will last.”
Valentino went on to present its first ever US haute couture show for a select 550 guests at the Whitney Museum, with an entire collection of white and cream looks. Valentino’s partner Giancarlo Giammetti congratulated Chiuri and Piccioli on Instagram for a “wonderful collection and the tribute to Valentino.”
