Alessandro Michele presents the Valentino Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled Antilibrary, drawing inspiration from Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s story of Umberto Eco’s vast personal library.
Exploring the concept that unread books represent a boundless reservoir of cognitive potential, the collection reframes fashion as a visual archive of possibility. Rather than measuring garments solely by their functional use, the show celebrates pieces that expand the imagination and speak to the lives we could live.
Valentino SS27 Fashion Show
The concept delves into the Japanese practice of tsundoku, the art of acquiring books and letting them pile up unread. In Michele’s vision, both unopened books and runway creations exist beyond the logic of pure consumption.
Some garments grace the catwalk only once or rest untouched in wardrobes like cherished relics, yet their true value lies in what they make conceivable.
Citing philosopher Giorgio Agamben, the collection emphasizes that potentiality holds its own density and efficacy, preserving endless possibilities even when left unactualized.
Rather than viewing these unfulfilled possibilities as a sense of regret, the collection treats them as promises of happiness waiting to unfold. This reservoir of virtuality continuously exceeds mere actualisation, reminding us that fashion, much like a room filled with unopened books, possesses the profound human capacity to continuously expand the realm of what we can imagine.
In line with the spirit of the Antilibrary, Valentino invited show guests to contribute to a literary initiative by bringing a new or personal book to the event. All donated volumes are collected and distributed to public libraries across Paris and other global cities in partnership with Bibliothèques Sans Frontières and Fauvettes City Club.
Valentino transforms the private act of collecting unread stories into a shared public gift. This gesture bridges abstract luxury with tangible community support.
It ensures that the potential held within every unopened page continues to enrich lives and expand imaginations far beyond the boundaries of the runway.
As we await the arrival of the collection, discover the latest collection at our Valentino boutique at Plaza Indonesia.
Alessandro Michele Valentino Valentino SS27 Valentino SS27 Antilibrary
