History of Italian fashion century, cheaper silk was imported to Milan from Asia because the phylloxera pest infestation damaged silk and wine produced in Italy. After industrialization, metal, mechanical, and furniture manufacturing replaced textile production. Some of the first modern Italian fashion designers, such as Bulgari, Prada, Gucci, and Ferragamo, were founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1950s and 1960s, Italian fashion regained popularity worldwide. On February 12, 1951, the Italian businessman Giovanni Battista Giorgini held a fashion show in Florence to make Italy an international leader in fashion design. Prior to his "soirées" in 1951 to 1953, Italy
Valentino (fashion house) Valentino (fashion house) Valentino SpA is an Italian clothing company founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and part of Valentino Fashion Group, which in turn is owned by the State of Qatar through Mayhoola for Investments S.P.C. Since October 2008, the creative director is Pier Paolo Piccioli. Alessandra Facchinetti was Valentino's creative designer from 2007 to 2008. Valentino is headquartered in Milan, while the creative direction is in Rome. Valentino was founded in 1960 when Garavani opened a fashion house on Via Condotti in Rome, Italy with the backing of his father and his father's associate Giancarlo Giammetti. Valentino's international