Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli on the Importance of Having a Voice in Fashion
In January, the Valentino Haute Couture presentation in Paris was in many ways a triumph for the house and its creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli. Every garment sent down the runway was sensational and spanned a variety of textures, hues, shapes, patterns, and dimensions. Those elements, combined with an awe-inspiring roster of dark-skinned black models, included a closing look worn by Naomi Campbell, which evoked tears from the audience and was met with industry-wide praise.
What is so compelling about Piccioli's work in fashion is that it’s earnest, it’s done without pretense, and it comes from an informed awareness of the industry’s exclusion of certain participants in the couture space. In a recent interview for Vogue Australia on how to make fashion globally inclusive, Piccioli said, “It’s important today, if you are in fashion, if you have a voice, hopefully a loud voice, not to talk bullshit.” He continued, “To be very aware that you can use your voice for something that is not only about clothes, but the values you can deliver through your clothes.”
Piccioli doesn’t have to depend on buzzwords like “diversity” and “inclusion” because those things are embedded in the stories he’s telling at Valentino. He has done a deep dive to educate himself on fashion’s shortcomings in relation to people of color in the industry, especially models in the couture space. Piccioli recently served on the judging panel for the inaugural Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA). FTA was established to support emerging design talent in the Middle East and North Africa with close mentorship and prize money (up to $200,000) tailored to the needs of the winners. Extending his efforts to underrepresented designers could be a turning point in the fight for representation in fashion. Access on all fronts is a major factor in the success of an emerging designer trying to get their footing and establish a presence among a sea of storied brands.
Last Thursday, the celebrity-filled awards ceremony presented six winners in five categories: Krikor Jabotian (evening wear), the Mukhi Sisters (jewelry), Zyne (footwear),
Sabry Marouf (accessories), and joint womenswear design winners Salim Azzam and Roni Helou. The latter two have caught Piccioli’s attention. He said of Azzam, “Through these embroideries, he is telling his own story. You don’t always have to tell a big story, I think a small story is enough if it's yours.”
