Valentino Re-Signify Part One Shanghai by Aybuke Barkcin

 

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Valentino opened its doors to an interactive brand experience to re-signify the brand’s codes at the contemporary art museum ‘Power Station of Art’ in Shanghai which will continue until Jan. 17th.

As a celebration of the past, the iconic brand invites visitors for a free interpretation on the archival pieces, meeting at the interactive point between art and fashion.

The visitors will get to see Valentino’s signatures, most notably the Red Rose, the Rockstud and the couture pieces from the “Of Grace and Light” collection presented with the artworks of artists; Jacopo Benassi, Cao Fei, Jonas Mekas, Stanley Mouse; Robby Müller, Quayola, Anna Ridler, Rachel Rose, Sølve Sundsbø, Natália Trejbalová and Weirdcore.

Since Pierpaolo Piccioli took the reins of Valentino, the creative director has opted for a more inclusive approach for the luxury brand by casting black models, most famously Adut Akech, to express his ideals on diversity and representation of women of colour in fashion.

A few weeks ago, the brand also announced that the Euphoria actress Zendaya would join the Valentino family as its ambassador, Piccioli expressing that “The reason why we chose Zendaya as the new face for Valentino is because she perfectly embodies and represents what Valentino is and stands for, today. She is a powerful and fierce young woman that uses her talent and her work to express herself, her values and her generation as well.”

The interactive experience was curated by Mariuccia Casadio and Jacopo Bedussi with an installation created by Kennedy London. Valentino expressed that they avoided any chronological order when curating the spaces in order to allow their visitors to explore by themselves in any order they pleased.

“Valentino’s past and present, memory and imagination materialize in a single space. In a journey through the Maison motifs, traditional values transform with contemporary consciousness, evolving into modern moods.”

After opening a new flagship store in Beijing and holding a couture runway show in the Summer Palace last year, the latest push to hold an interactive experience in China, only shows the increasing importance of Chinese market for Valentino.

Aybuke Barkcin

Aybüke Barkçin is an art director, photographer, curator and writer that looks at fashion through the lens of political and societal dynamics. She completed her master's Creative Direction in POLIMODA, Italy and has a background in International Relations and Graphic Design. Her work can be found in her website: https://www.aybukebarkcin.com/