Valentino Shakes Up Runway Calendar with Unisex Presentation and Co-Ed Couture Show
Get ready fashion lovers, because Valentino is making some major changes to its runway calendar. In anticipation of Alessandro Michele’s highly-anticipated first runway presentation since leaving Gucci, the luxury brand has announced that it will be combining its women’s and men’s lines into one unisex show during Paris women’s seasons. And that’s not all – there will also be just one co-ed couture show per year.
This bold and strategic decision marks the beginning of a new creative vision for Valentino, now under the leadership of Michele. With questions swirling about the brand’s future following Pierpaolo Piccioli’s departure in 2023 and the cancellation of several presentations scheduled for 2024, all eyes are on Valentino to see what’s next.
But this isn’t the first time the brand has undergone a major transformation. After the peak of the 2020 lockdown, Piccioli reintroduced Valentino’s position in the fashion world by debuting its first-ever men’s haute couture pieces in SS21. This show served as a reset point for the brand, which continued to captivate audiences with stunning runway spectacles like the FW22 presentation that featured co-ed models covered head-to-toe in “Pierpaolo Pink.”
Now, with Michele at the helm, we can expect Valentino to continue pushing boundaries and challenging gender norms, just as he did during his time at Gucci. And with the fashion industry increasingly focused on issues of sustainability and diversity, the brand’s decision to scale back its runway calendar and embrace a more gender-inclusive outlook may be just what’s needed.
So mark your calendars fashionistas, because Michele’s debut runway show for Valentino SS25 will be presented on September 29th at 3 PM CEST during Paris Spring/Summer 2025 Fashion Week. We can’t wait to see what this new era of Valentino has in store for us.
