Italian fashion icon Valentino Garavani, celebrated for his timeless evening gowns worn by some of the world’s most glamorous women, has died at the age of 93, his foundation announced.

“He peacefully passed away today at his residence in Rome, surrounded by the love of his family,” a statement posted to Instagram said.

Born in 1932 in the northern Italian town of Voghera, Valentino, widely known simply by his first name—honed his skills in the haute couture ateliers of Paris before launching his own fashion house in Rome in 1959.

He quickly gained fame for his red gowns, a vibrant scarlet that became his trademark and was famously dubbed “Valentino red” within the fashion world.

In 1960, he met Giancarlo Giammetti, a young architecture student who would become his long-time business partner and, for 12 years, his romantic partner.

Together, they transformed Valentino SpA into a globally celebrated luxury brand.

One of Valentino’s earliest high-profile clients was actress Elizabeth Taylor, whom he met in Rome during the filming of Cleopatra in the early 1960s.

Other glamorous patrons in the early years of his career included Begum Aga Khan, Queen Paola of Belgium, actresses Audrey Hepburn and Joan Collins, and Jacqueline Kennedy, who famously wore a Valentino gown for her 1968 wedding to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

In 1998, Valentino sold his fashion house to the Italian conglomerate HdP for around $300 million, though he remained actively involved in the company.

After more than 45 years in the industry, he retired in 2008, closing one of the longest and most celebrated careers in fashion.

His farewell was commemorated with a star-studded show at Paris’s Musée Rodin, where models closed the runway in identical “Valentino red” gowns.