The Rockstud made it on the feet of celebrities and street-style stars, and the heels continue to sell out.

Valentino returned to profit in 2011 (paywall), and an investment fund linked to Qatar’s royal family bought it for a reported $850 million (paywall) the next year. By 2015, Valentino’s clothes and handbags had become fixtures on the streets of Paris and Milan.

Chiuri and Piccioli had their early stumbles. Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino’s business partner since 1960 and and the house’s co-founder, called the spring 2010 couture show a “ridiculous circus.” But the couture business has since flourished. Actress Olivia Wilde’s white gown at the recent Oscars was a Valentino couture creation.

Actress Oliva Wilde arrives wearing Valentino at the 88th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 28, 2016.
Of course, Valentino is still very much at home on the red carpet.
Image: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Mayhoola for Investments, Valentino’s Qatari owner, targeted the label to hit €1 billion in sales by 2017. Chiuri and Piccioli did it in three. Investors now await an IPO, but executives say that won’t happen any earlier than next year.

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