Valentino Emerging Designers initiative
Marco Rambaldi Fall-Winter 2021 collection lookbook.

Last season during Milan Fashion Week, GRAZIA reported on the growing presence of emerging designers stepping up in the Italian capital. It has traditionally been difficult for young designers to take off compared to New York, London, and even Paris, going against heritage brands like Versace, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, and Valentino. However, young designers are pulling up a seat to the table (aka the Italian fashion industry) and yielding a fashion renaissance that’s been a long time coming–and the house of Valentino seems to agree.

Today the Italian heritage label has announced a partnership with Italy’s Camera della Moda (Italy’s equivalent to the CFDA) on a breakthrough project for emerging fashion designers. Valentino will spotlight emerging designer’s collections on its Instagram platform each season, extending visibility to the label’s 15.8 million followers. The initiative was driven by creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli (who typically shows in Paris) presenting his ready-to-wear collections in Milan in September 2020 and March 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Piccioli mentioned he felt “alive and pulsing this city [Milan] is and how much it has to offer in terms of creativity and new ideas.”

The first designer to be kickoff the program on Maison Valentino’s platform is inclusive, upcycling, and gender-bending designer Marco Rambaldi. The Bologna, Italy-based designer who launched his eponymous label in 2017 will use @maisonvalentino “as a stage to broaden their work and message,” according to Piccioli. “We decided to approach designers whose sensitivity resonates with our core identity values. Marco Rambaldi’s show in Via Lecco was such a graceful and powerful celebration of humanity and a kaleidoscopic vision of beauty. That’s why we decided to start this new project with his collection, and I am sure that this will be the beginning of something that will give new energies and inspiration to all of us.” he adds.

Valentino’s initiative comes after organizations like Afro Fashion Association, giving African-Italian and other marginalized groups space among the masses, and Gucci giving a platform to emerging designers on newly launched Gucci Vault. This is only the beginning of the nuova

Italian fashion renaissance, but oh, are we excited to see the rising new talent come season.