In comparison to London, New York, or Paris, we don’t hear much about Milan’s emerging designers. Of course, the infrastructure of the Italian fashion industry isn’t the most accommodating of nesting grounds but it’s also hard to cut through the noise generated by Versace, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, and Valentino. Yet there are plenty of burgeoning labels worthy of distinction, among them Vitelli, Adriana Hot Couture, and Marco Rambaldi – the latter of which is now being taken under Valentino’s wing. 

Next February, during Milan Fashion Week, Rambaldi will take over Valentino’s Instagram to showcase his collection and broaden his brand’s reach to the label’s 15.7 million followers. In partnership with Camera della Moda Italiana (Italy’s answer to the British Fashion Council), Valentino will then continue to spotlight guest designers each season thereafter. Having traditionally presented his collections in Paris, Pierpaolo Piccioli was struck by how “alive and pulsing” Milan was when travel restrictions saw him return to Italy for the pandemic. “It has so much to offer in terms of creativity and new ideas”, he said in a statement. 

The project comes as other legacy labels, namely Gucci, have begun to platform young designers in collaborative fashion week spectacles. “We decided to approach designers whose sensitivity resonates with our core identity values. Marco Rambaldi’s show in Via Lecco was such a graceful and powerful celebration of humanity and a kaleidoscopic vision of beauty. That’s why we decided to start this new project with his collection and I am sure that this will be the beginning of something that will give new energies and inspiration to all of us,” the designer added. Eventually, the project will go beyond the Italian borders, but for now, it’s looking closer to home. 

Rambaldi, who has built a name on crocheted, doily-esque dresses and cutesy two pieces, is understandably grateful for the support. “I believe that with this collaboration Valentino affirms the desire not only to continue to write its own history, but to spread and nurture all Italian fashion in the decades to come. A maison that works alongside an emerging brand breaks the boundaries, steps outside the box, regenerates connections,” he says.