In an era when the headline “Is Couture Dead?” runs in newspapers and on websites nearly every fashion week, Giambattista Valli is saying phooey to those notions.

Indeed, the designer will show his first haute couture collection this July at the medium’s bi-annual event in Paris. The show, taking place in the Galerie de la Madeleine–home to Valli’s new store and studio–is part of the official Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week calendar. No easy feat for a newbie. (It’s unclear whether that means Valli has already been accepted into the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture, but we’re assuming it does if he is to be listed on the official calendar.)

Read more →