Fashion house Valentino will present its largest exhibition to date and its first presentation in the Middle East with “Forever Valentino” in tribute to its founder Valentino Garavani in collaboration with Qatar Museums.
‘Forever Valentino’ will be on view from October 28, 2022 to April 1, 2023 at the M7 Design and Innovation Center in Msheireb Downtown Doha as part of the year-round national cultural movement, Qatar Creates.
The exhibition will be a “theatrical experience,” explains the brand, which explores the fashion house’s haute couture codes. There will also be a journey through his native Rome, the city where it all began and which is part of his identity, in the exhibition.
In a statement, Valentino said the exhibition will bring a “dreamlike” version of Rome to Doha, taking the viewer through palazzi, squares and courtyards. It also grants exclusive access to “secluded, intimate spaces such as the famous Valentino Ateliers, the house’s historical archives and the matching salons in the fabled headquarters on Piazza Mignanelli”.
The exhibition is curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director of the New Museum New York, and fashion critic and author Alexander Fury, as well as Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli. The grand perspective will explore Valentino’s codes and methods of haute couture with more than 200 haute couture pieces and ready-to-wear outfits presented by La Rosa on mannequins.
The Valentino looks are accompanied by accessories and fashion objects, presented in an immersive scenography that weaves richly textured images of Rome with “private memories” from Valentino’s six-decade history. This includes rarely seen ensembles designed for Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy and, more recently, Zendaya.
The Forever Valentino exhibition opens on October 28th at M7 in Doha, Qatar. The opening coincides with Valentino Garavani’s 90th birthday and the unveiling of the Valentino Fall/Winter 2022 Haute Couture collection in Rome.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.