After three years of showing with a co-ed format, Valentino will officially return to Milan Men’s Fashion Week this June to present a men’s-specific runway.
The show, titled “Valentino The Narratives,” will take place on June 16 at 2 pm CET at the Università degli Studi di Milano Statale. The event will mark the beginning of Milan Men’s Fashion Week, which is slated to run through June 20.
According to WWD, menswear accounts for 14% of Valentino’s sales, and chief executive officer Jacopo Venturini sees “great opportunities” in the segment. Valentino’s decision to stray from its co-ed format follows that of other luxury brands, including Gucci, Versace, Givenchy and Moschino, in an effort to shed more light on the market sector.
Valentino operates 75 retail stores with both men’s and women’s items, with 25 boutiques (mostly shop-in-shops) dedicated solely to menswear. The label will continue to expand its menswear distribution next year in cities including Paris, Shanghai, Nagoya, Wuhan and New York, among others.
“Valentino The Narratives” will stream live on Valentino’s website and through the House’s social accounts. Notably, the university’s students will be able to view the show on campus, as creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli looks to make the label increasingly more inclusive for a younger demographic.
In more fashion news, see the best looks from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s 2023 Future of Fashion runway.