Maison Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli painted the runway in his custom Pantone colour — ‘Pink PP’

It was an all pink kind of a fall/winter show for Valentino‘s creative director and visionary Pierpaolo Piccioli. For the brand’s presentation at Paris Fashion Week this year, everything was stripped down to one colour — pink — in quantity, vivacity, and audacity, not seen before from the house, or any major fashion label in recent hory.
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But, it was not just any pink. Piccioli collaborated with the Pantone Colour Institute to create a custom pink shade that is now named ‘Pink PP’, after the designer. As per the brand’s official Instagram account, “All the infinite possibilities, enveloped in a single hue.”

Not only did the brand change its Instagram profile picture to a pink Valentino logo, and paint their social media feed pink, parts of Paris were also treated as a canvas as the collection name flashed on surfaces across the city. The show itself was held in Carreau du Temple.

Further, to crystallise the intention of the collection into words, novel and visual art Douglas Coupland wrote special passages which culminated into an exclusive booklet as an invitation to the show.

The aim of the designer behind stripping down the palette to just one bright, energetic pink — which is “the colour of love, community, energy, and freedom” — was to eradicate the visual engagement with colour to invite the eye, all eyes, on the craft, detail, and individuality of every design, unpacking the many possibilities of a monochrome collection. It was an opportunity to celebrate texture and silhouettes featured in the collection – everything from jacquard to sequins and 3D cut-outs as well as micro materials.
The models as well as the brand’s ambassador and front row guest Zendaya wore platform-heeled over-the-knee boots besides carrying statement accessories in the form of mini bags.

Zendaya and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who is wearing a ribbon in support of Ukraine, pose for photographers after the Valentino Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection. (Photo Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
The collection also featured another subset of all-black pieces. Post the show, Pierpaolo emerged to take the bow from amidst the sea of pink in a black hoodie and trousers with a ribbon of Ukrainian colours pinned on his chest, in solidarity with Ukrainians who continue to face Russian assault.
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