Get Ready For Valentino’s Menswear Return

Did you know Valentino Garavani staged his very first menswear show in Milan in 1985? The Italian fashion capital was a constant source of inspiration for the late designer when reimagining his house codes for men’s wardrobes. And while current creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli hasn’t abandoned menswear — actor Pedro Pascal made headlines wearing a look from A/W 23 to this year’s Met Gala — for the last three seasons the maison has only presented co-ed collections. Well, to kick off Milan Fashion Week this June, Valentino will be staging it's first standalone menswear show since 2020.

The upcoming show dubbed 'The Narrative' will see Piccioli redefine Valentino's masculine codes while undoubtedly pulling from the maison's extensive archive. Currently, much of the brand's menswear has been defined by Piccioli's androgynous tailoring. For his most recent ready-to-wear show, the collection was defined by looks that were interchangeable between models. In today's press release, Valentino explained that a standalone collection will give Piccioli the space to develop the brand's menswear wardrobe while continuing to weave a cohesive design language between collections.

Back in January Gucci presented its first standalone menswear show after former creative director Alessandro Michele introduced co-ed collections in 2017. For the last few years discussions on gendered fashion have dominated the conversation, so having two of Italy's biggest brands revert to standalone menswear shows marks a resurgence in the market away from the non-binary. Can we expect more brands to follow suit?

Valentino's 'The Narratives' show will take place on 16 June at Milan Fashion Week.