Fragrance house

Mario Valentino

Mario Valentino traces its origins to Vincenzo Valentino’s Neapolitan footwear workshop in the early twentieth century, before Mario Valentino opened his own studio in Naples in 1952. In 1954, a flat sandal decorated with coral appeared at Rome’s Alta Moda week, drew coverage from French Vogue, and was later displayed at the Bally Shoe Museum in Switzerland. After returning to Naples in 1966, Valentino focused on bags and accessories; during the 1970s, the company expanded into clothing, with leather as a central material. Its creative work during that decade included collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, and Claude Montana. Mario Valentino presented its own collection at Milan fashion week in March 1979, followed by international expansion across Europe, North America, Japan, and Asia during the 1980s. After Mario Valentino’s death in 1991, creative and family continuity passed to his son Enzo, under whose direction the brand continued.