Valentino

Valentino Garavani was born in Voghera, Lombardy in 1932 and moved to Paris at seventeen to train at the École des Arts Décoratifs and the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, working for Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche before opening his own atelier in Rome in 1959 at 11 Via Condotti. His first major collection, shown in Florence in 1962, established what would become the defining aesthetic of Italian luxury: extraordinary craftsmanship in service of unabashed femininity, with Valentino Red as his signature colour. He dressed Jackie Kennedy for her second wedding in 1968 to Aristotle Onassis, establishing himself at the intersection of fashion and global cultural power. He retired in 2008; the brand is now owned by Qatar's Mayhoola for Investments and has been led by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli since 2016. The fragrance programme operates through Puig.

Valentino fragrances are developed through Puig Group's relationships with leading perfumers. Valentina (2011), created by Alberto Morillas and Loc Dong, uses mandarin, white truffle, iris, and musks in an opulent Italian composition — the white truffle note brings an earthy, indolic warmth entirely distinctive from conventional fruity florals. Donna Born in Roma (2019), created by Emilie Bevierre and Bruno Jovanovic, uses jasmine, vanilla, vetiver, and musks in a composition inspired by the spirit of contemporary Rome — simultaneously ancient and modern. Voce Viva (2021), by Emilie Bevierre, adds bergamot, magnolia, and musks.

Donna Born in Roma (2019) is the house's most successful recent feminine — a jasmine-vanilla-vetiver-musk composition that became a global bestseller almost immediately for its wearable sophistication and modern interpretation of Italian sensuality. The broken Valentino logo bottle nods to Rome's ancient ruins — old and new simultaneously. Voce Viva (2021) with its magnolia-bergamot-musk character extended the Born in Roma universe for a younger audience. The original Valentino EDP and Valentina Pink (2012) remain beloved for their Italian opulence and genuinely indulgent femininity.

Valentino occupies accessible luxury — EDPs from €80-€130 — with Italian couture heritage that gives their fragrances authenticity comparable to Armani and Prada. The house's new identity under Piccioli — bold, unabashedly romantic, and genuinely diverse — has reinvigorated its cultural relevance, benefiting the fragrance range's commercial positioning considerably.

Every Valentino fragrance at The Scent Stories® is 100% authentic, factory-sealed and brand-packaged — sourced from authorised channels and shipped worldwide.