‘Forever Valentino’, a new exhibition in Doha, Qatar, marks the Italian house’s most comprehensive exhibition yet, leading viewers on a colourful journey through Valentino past and present with over 200 pieces which span its beginnings in 1959 to the current tenure of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. Held at M7, Msheireb Downtown Doha’s design hub, it also coincides with the continuing birthday celebrations of house founder Valentino Garavani who turned 90 this past May.
‘The title of the exhibition says it all. Forever,’ Piccioli tells Wallpaper*. ‘The value of maison Valentino is timeless, it reveals its authenticity by constantly evolving. 60 years of this experience were made possible by the work of a couturier named Valentino Garavani, whose vision is still meaningful for today. Our conscious heritage has always moved forward, towards the future and the complexity of humanity. This balance moved my aesthetic idea of the exhibition, which is a perspective, not a retrospective, an act of love.’
’Forever Valentino’ at Doha’s M7 hub
‘Forever Valentino’ at Doha’s M7 hub
‘Forever Valentino’ is curated by artistic director of the New Museum New York, Massimilano Gioni and fashion critic Alexander Fury, in collaboration with Piccioli. The panoramic installation – featuring mannequins by La Rosa, known for its made-in-Italy recycled and sustainable designs – features both recognisable and rarely seen pieces, designed over the years for Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy and Zendaya, among others. Valentino’s home city of Rome is a particular focus, evoked in the exhibition’s scenography, but also in the pieces themselves which trace the house’s roots in Romanesque design, architecture and la dolce vita.
‘The legacy of Valentino Garavani – and therefore the meaning of Valentino – is to celebrate beauty, in all its incarnations, from every walk of life and every period of time,’ adds Fury. ‘That noble quest, that ceaseless search for and celebration of beauty to better the world is, for me, Forever Valentino.’
‘Forever Valentino’ at Doha’s M7 hub
The collaboration comes as part of Qatar Creates, a year-round cultural movement aimed at championing arts, culture and fashion in Qatar led by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, sister to the Emir of Qatar, who is tasked with boosting Qatar’s cultural programmes. Earlier this week, the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize 2022 also took place in Doha, celebrating young fashion talent from the MENA region, for which Piccioli was a judge.
Forever Valentino runs at Gallery 1 and 2, M7, in Msheireb Downtown Doha, from 28 October 2022 to 1 April 2023.
-
Beach chic: the all-new Citroën Ami gets an acid-tinged, open-air Buggy variantCitroën have brought a dose of polychromatic playfulness to their new generation Ami microcar, the cult all-ages electric quadricycle that channels the spirit of the 2CV for the modern age
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery WeekendBerlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
The Wallpaper* S/S 2025 trend report: ‘A rejection of the derivative and the expected’Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss unpacks five trends and takeaways from the S/S 2025 shows, which paid ode to individual style and transformed the everyday
-
The breathtaking runway sets of S/S 2025, from beanbag animals to a twisted living roomWallpaper* picks the best runway sets and show spaces of fashion month, which featured Bottega Veneta’s beanbag menagerie, opulence at Saint Laurent, and artist collaborations at Acne Studios and Burberry
-
Alessandro Michele is back: inside the designer’s ‘deeply felt’ debut show for ValentinoThis afternoon in Paris, former Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele returned with his debut collection for Valentino, a musing on the power of beauty
-
Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectNext week sees the arrival of Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025, with stops in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Here, our comprehensive guide to the month, from Alaïa’s arrival in New York to Alessandro Michele’s Valentino debut
-
Inside Valentino’s glamorous new Sloane Street store, inspired by the art of haute coutureThe latest in Valentino’s ‘The New Maison’ store concept opens on London’s Sloane Street this week, offering an enveloping marble and carpet-clad space of ‘intimacy and uniqueness’
-
Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectBeginning this weekend, everything we know about Men‘s Fashion Week S/S 2025 so far, from Dries Van Noten’s final show in Paris to an intimate Craig Green presentation in London
-
Alessandro Michele is Valentino’s new creative directorFormer Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele is named the successor to Pierpaolo Piccioli at the Roman house
-
Pierpaolo Piccioli is leaving Valentino after two decadesThe Italian designer is to exit Valentino after a critically lauded and commercially successful tenure as creative director of the Roman house
