Giancarlo Giammetti Describes How Valentino Became a Real Business

Giammetti opens up about being the power behind Valentino, and how the two met in the first place.
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The storied house of Valentino wouldn't be what it is today without Valentino Garavani -- but Valentino also owes its success to a second figure: Giancarlo Giammetti, Garavani's business partner and honorary president of Valentino.

In the eight-minute video above, Giammetti explains how he turned Valentino into a brand that wasn't merely glamorous, but also made money. He also gets a little personal, telling the sweet story of how he met Garavani and how their relationship has evolved in the many years since.

This month, Giammetti is celebrating the publication of a new tome, Private: Giancarlo Giammetti, filled with in-depth interviews and personal journal entries. As part of his NYC promotional tour, he took the stage at Parsons for a conversation with Simon Collins. We'll have more on that soon.

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The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum Launches and It's Amazing (and Highly Addictive)

"I was at the Kennedy Center Honors last night so I haven't slept, so things are gonna get funky," Anne Hathaway said, on hand yesterday for the launch of the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum at MoMA. "I'm bringing the funk to MoMA!" Hathaway looked gorgeous in Valentino and well-rested from my vantage point, but some awkward moments (at one point she said, while on stage, 'I'd like to invite Mr. Valentino and Mr. Giammetti to invite me to the stage") seemed to confirm that she hadn't slept much (and maybe enjoyed some champers,too). But Hathaway's kooky emceeing couldn't detract from the truly groundbreaking work Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti have achieved in creating a virtual museum that houses and comprehensively breaks down five decades of Valentino's work. Hathaway called the museum a "revolution" and that she did not believe that word choice was "hyperbolic." We're with her there. A quick run down of what you'll find upon downloading the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum (here's the link):