Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli turned Paris into a pink paradise Sunday at the presentation for his rose-colored Fall/Winter 22-23 collection.
Staged in a monochromatic setting with pink-clad brand ambassador Zendaya in the front row, the brand presented a dual-gender collection swathed almost entirely in “Valentino Pink PP,” a hue that color specialists Pantone developed exclusively for the Italian label.
By stripping the palette down to a single shade, Piccioli set out to do more with less, “maximizing expressive possibilities in the apparent lack of possibilities,” the show notes stated. The pink-out—balanced by some all-black looks—aimed to “eliminate the visual shock” and allow the unique character of the person and the fashion (texture, shape and decoration) remain the sole focus.
“The subtraction is, in fact, amplification, magnifying both the humans and the clothing,” the brand stated.
The “PP” in “Valentino Pink PP” is a nod to Piccioli’s passion for the fucshia-forward color. He has explored the color deeply in recent years, showcasing it in Valentino’s Spring 2022 ready-to-wear and couture collections (featured alone and paired with olive green). The vivid choice was also a major theme in Valentino’s exhibition during December’s Art Basel in Miami.
The fashion house teased the collection’s premiere Saturday night by projecting the color swatch onto buildings across Paris. Valentino also worked with novelist, designer and visual artist Douglas Coupland to unpack the collection-defining color, culminating in an exclusive booklet and box set sent to guests, press and friends of the brand. It also released an Instagram filter with select Coupland’s musings including “become your pose” and “minimalists are merely hoarding space.”
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Pink, in general, has proven to have staying power. The color rose in popularity during the 2010s when “millennial pink” became the de facto signature of any brand vying to court the cohort, and it became a feminist symbol following the spread of the 2017 #MeToo movement. It was a key color on the 2019 Oscars red carpet.
In the wake of the pandemic, pink has become a go-to dopamine color pop for rising brands like Brandon Maxwell, Pat Bo and Jacquemus, which offered a pink Christmas capsule collection in 2020. More recently, pink was a part of Pantone’s forecast for F/W 22-23 New York Fashion Week.
Pantone is increasingly in the business of developing exclusive colors as brand identities. It launched “Brady Blue” in December for former NFL quarterback Tom Brady’s new line of men’s apparel. Pantone also created “Ultra Black” to mark the release of rapper Nas’ single by the same name.
Color aside, the F/W 22-23 collection hit on all the must-have trends for the year including cutouts, relaxed suiting, opera-length gloves and platform footwear. Meanwhile, bows, ruffles, voluminous shapes and short hems maintain Valentino’s freshness and playfulness.