Tributes Pour In for Iconic Italian Designer Valentino Garavani

Remembering Valentino Garavani

ROME, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known to the world simply as Valentino, has died at the age of 93, his foundation announced on Monday.

Founder of his eponymous brand, he built a global fashion empire and introduced the iconic "Valentino Red." He had retired in 2008, after rising to the top of haute couture.

Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino's partner in business and life, posted his picture on Instagram captioned "forever."

Tributes from the Fashion Industry

Here are some of the other tributes to him:

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI

"Valentino, undisputed master of style and elegance and eternal symbol of Italian haute couture. Today, Italy loses a legend, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations. Thank you for everything."

FASHION DESIGNER DONATELLA VERSACE

"Today, we lost a true maestro who will forever be remembered for his art. My thoughts go to Giancarlo (Giammetti) who never left his side for all these years. He will never be forgotten."

MODEL CINDY CRAWFORD

"I’m heartbroken to hear of Valentino Garavani’s passing. He was a true master of his craft, and I will always be grateful for the years I had the privilege of working closely with him."

SINGER AND FORMER MODEL CARLA BRUNI

"He was a master, and it was an honor and a great privilege to know him and model for him, and I will always remember his great kindness and infinite elegance. My thoughts go out to @giancarlogiammetti and the entire Valentino family. Rest in peace #valentino."

Statements from Italian Leaders

ITALIAN PRESIDENT SERGIO MATTARELLA

"With Valentino's passing, Italy loses a successful designer, capable of looking beyond trends and conventions. The fashion world owes him great insights and splendid creations."

ALESSANDRO MICHELE, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT MAISON VALENTINO

"I am deeply saddened. Today, an extraordinary man passes away. Valentino Garavani was not only an undisputed protagonist of fashion, but a central figure in Italian cultural history. A man who pushed the boundaries of possibility, traversing the world with rare delicacy, silent rigor, and a boundless love of beauty.

"He leaves us all a profound legacy: the idea that creating means caring, that beauty is radical and patient attention to bodies, to forms, to the time that passes through and preserves them."

FASHION WRITER SUZY MENKES

Valentino's Impact on Fashion

"Intensely Italian in his passion for decoration, yet also international in his attitude and his designs, the spirit of the company continued beyond his own creation of a luxury brand. Looking back, Valentino was the last member - and leader - of gorgeous glamour delivered to the upper crust of the fashion world."

CHAMBER OF ITALIAN FASHION PRESIDENT CARLO CAPASA

"His creations became symbols of style and glamour, worn by the protagonists of history and by central figures of international cultural life. His aesthetic, coherent and rigorous, never chased trends, but he was able to unite artisanal heritage and modernity, contributing decisively to the global recognition of Italian fashion."

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Elisa AnzolinEditing by Tomasz Janowski)