- - Valentino Garavani’s Rise Involved an American First Lady

Nicole WeaverJanuary 20, 2026 at 12:50 AM

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Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti announced that Valentino Garavani, 93, died on January 19, 2026. The foundation’s Instagram post claimed he was in his home in Rome, surrounded by his loved ones. His funeral will take place on Friday. Giancarlo Giammetti, 83, was Garavani's close business partner. He talked about how their partnership started when he realized the fashion house "made it."

Jackie Onassis Wore Valentino After John F. Kennedy’s Death

Jackie Onassis, Mr. Aristotle Onassis, and Caroline KennedyBettmann via Getty

Giammetti, talked about his long career with Garavani with The Business of Fashion in May 2025. The co-founder said Garavani approached him and insisted they only speak French with each other. The designer was broke at the time and had to file for Chapter 11. The new business partners started over from there without investors. Giammetti was asked when he realized Valentino "made it."

“Jackie Kennedy already in ‘68 [started] to dress Valentino,” Giammetti said. “I even [saw] one dress on a friend of [hers]. So the collection flew to New York to be presented to the ex-First Lady because [John F. Kennedy] died just one year earlier.” He said Kennedy’s first order was all-black or black-and-white. “And those are the moments in which I start to understand a little bit that we made it.” Luckily, they got to dress her for a much happier occasion.

She later wore a laced Valentino two-piece wedding dress for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis in 1968. The spring '68 collection item was shockingly shorter with a pleated skirt. The high-neck top led to a trend of turtle necks, sleeves and skirts for brides afterward. Friends of the couple later auctioned the historical dress. It was sold for $24,320, according to Bonhams.

The co-founder posted a black-and-white picture of the late designer on his personal Instagram. He captioned it with, "forever." WWD recognized the pair in 2025 with the John B Fairchild Honor for Lifetime Achievement award months before his death.

This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”