Bias Cut: Curating an Inner Circle

Image by Mary Borozdina via Unsplash

Many commentators are rightly excited about Taschen’s gorgeous new book, Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic. Since fashion designer Valentino Garavani opened his first atelier in 1957, his reach has without question been epic. For decades, this creative force has consistently defined red carpet style and preserved the craftsmanship of haute couture for new generations. Valentino has always vocalized his commitment to his vision.

“I know what women want,” Valentino famously said. “They want to feel beautiful.”

Throughout his illustrious career, Valentino has made many, many women feel beautiful. He cultivated relationships with some of the most iconic women in the world, offering inspired designs that blended softness and femininity and empowerment. He constructed clothing that women could both escape into and actually wear. He made his dream a reality.

But he didn’t do it any of it alone.

The 2008 documentary, Valentino: The Last Emperor, showed Valentino’s most potent creative relationships in action. Seamstresses. Corporate leaders. Design professionals. Yet no relationship appears as fruitful as the one with his partner in work and in life, Giancarlo Giammetti.

When Valentino first met Giancarlo, his business was not performing well. Valentino’s company initially went bankrupt, and its prospect as a profitable enterprise was dim. In The Business of Fashion podcast, Giancarlo recalled that Valentino told him: “I don’t have a penny. The investor that my father brought in left me, and I don’t know what to do.”

Even though Giancarlo was a student at the time, he took over running the company. As Giancarlo has said: “The moment that we met - the moment that we started to work together, luck changed completely.”

In Valentino: The Last Emperor, former Valentino chairman Matteo Marzotto offered his perspective on Valentino’s primary relationship: “I don’t think Valentino would have been the same without Giancarlo … Try to think how long he has had this relationship, which is 365 days a year, 24 hours since 50 years - I mean, this is unique - and you cannot even say this is for money, for the power, for the what?”

Imagine for a moment that Giancarlo had initially belittled Valentino for his company’s failings. He could have depicted Valentino’s bankruptcy as a personal failure. He could’ve questioned Valentino’s capabilities, his vision, and his talent. He could have challenged the value of a Valentino dress. Having been so intimately exposed to his partner’s vulnerability, Giancarlo could have made him feel small.

Instead, Giancarlo saw a ship veering off course and took the helm.

Because Giancarlo took over running the financial and structural aspects of the company - and because Valentino chose to delegate that responsibility, Valentino was then free to focus on making beautiful dresses. He could immerse himself fully in his creativity. He could cultivate long-term relationships and serve as the face of his global brand. He could thrive in a dreamworld of his own making.

“Of course, Valentino created a world to himself,” Giancarlo explained in Valentino: The Last Emperor. “And he wants to stay in that world.”

While Valentino crafted his own vision, Giancarlo played a key role in transforming his partner’s creative dream into a powerful business. Giancarlo created a kind of bubble around Valentino, allowing the designer to fixate on the details in an environment where his creativity could flourish. And when Valentino received France’s Legion of Honour,, Valentino was visibly overcome in his acceptance speech as he said, “… but my gratitude goes especially to Giancarlo Giammetti.”

Vulnerability researcher and bestselling author Brené Brown speaks often about the power of an inner circle. Brown has used the visual of a candle to illustrate this point: “You know, you’ve got this flame - and this is your spirit, and this is your soul, and this is your light. And sometimes, it will shine really, really bright. And you want to surround yourself with people who - when your flame is shining bright - think, ‘Oh, what a beautiful light.’ And you want to be the type of friend who, when your friend’s light is shining, you think, ‘Man, that’s a great light.’ And you want friends who protect your light. We don’t want to surround ourselves with candle-blower-outers.’”

Perhaps Valentino’s greatest success wasn’t ultimately his stunning talent but was choosing to spend his life with a person who truly believed in him. Because Valentino and Giancarlo’s relationship took root during a particularly dark time, Valentino was able to see Giancarlo’s light from the outset for the singular, unconditional brilliance that it is. Valentino’s creativity blossomed especially because his life partner protected the conditions for it to do so. And Giancarlo also shined in this unique partnership where his own insight and contribution have been so deeply valued for decades.

In the beginning of Valentino: The Last Emperor, a reporter asked Giancarlo the (gross) question: “How would you define, in one word, your choice to live in another man’s shadow? Even a significant one.”

Giancarlo responded with a soft smile. “Happiness,” he said.