Fashion and beauty go hand in hand, which is why we’re positively thrilled to learn that Valentino is finally making its foray into cosmetics. On Wednesday, April 28, the Italian luxury fashion house shared the news with the press, revealing that its first makeup line will include a whopping 50 shades of lipstick, 40 shades of foundation, and “numerous” eye products. According to a Business of Fashion report, these little luxuries will be housed inside Valentino red packaging emblazoned with its signature logo.
This exciting venture will add to the brand’s beauty portfolio that currently only includes fragrances, the newest of which is Voce Viva. Per BoF, in addition to Valentino Beauty’s 14 soon-to-launch core color cosmetics SKUs (available to pre-order on the brand’s e-commerce website starting June 1), the fashion house also plans to launch limited-edition “drops” tied to its runway shows. Reflecting on all of the iconic, glamorous beauty looks we’ve seen on the catwalk through the years, this is, perhaps, the most exciting bit of information the label’s revealed thus far.
The brand hasn’t shared any product or campaign imagery just yet (the ultimate teaser), and sadly, Valentino Beauty won’t unveil them until the makeup line’s official launch on Monday, May 31. To satisfy our excitement in the meantime, they shared that Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli exclusively shot the range’s advertising campaign, starring 16 top-secret talents. “Each model expresses a shade of Valentino,” the brand mysteriously tells GRAZIA via email, adding that, “altogether, create a Valentino Chorus.”
In honor of the announcement, Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli shared a statement that’s equal parts poetic and enigmatic. It reads as follows:
“Beauty is a complexity resolved through love. Beauty is democratic. I look at the identity of each individual, the uniqueness that encloses diversity and inclusivity. Beauty is about grace. Grace is something that you cannot describe, it is a perception. Beauty is something that gives me emotion. It is a connection. For makeup, my vision is Rosso Valentino 22, on a morphing of 16 people.”
Piccioli’s mention of “Rosso Valentino 22” offers yet another hint about what’s to come. More specifically, according to BoF, it’s one of the brand’s lipstick shades. The designer calls it “a new red with a kind of punk, pink shade.” We’re anxiously waiting to experience it via Valentino Beauty’s first campaign, coming soon…but not soon enough.
