Inside the ancient roman power plant behind Valentino's latest campaign.

When Alessandro Michele sat down with Fashion Neurosis, he mentioned to Bella how he was fascinated with his mom's wardrobe, and the dresses she had. It's not hard to imagine the fascination he would later find with Valentino. That same fascination led to an ethos that pushes the narrative that meaning lives in the relationship between things, not in the things themselves. The latest Valentino campaign is doing exactly that, only this time, visually and conceptually too, both worlds colliding perfectly, as Michele takes us down the road of an art lesson. Who says fashion is flat? We need to have a talk with them.

Valentino's FW26 campaign, titled "INTERFERENZE," is taking place in Centrale Montemartini, an ex power plant turned museum, Rome's first. Built in the early 20th century, a detail worth sitting with, because it tells a full story conceptually. Michele added: "Centrale Montemartini is a metaphysical place, an in-between realm where the age of gods and that of machines, myth and progress, memory and invention no longer belong to separate temporalities." That "small" detail is what explains the whole story, as things that shouldn't naturally find each other in that space actually do. They live together, which naturally flips the cards, and now, it is no longer a backdrop and a product, but a co-living situation. Classic drama-filled Michele. Gotta love it.

Images: Courtesy of Valentino

key product focuses of the season! The new Panthea Bag, the new Spike Bag, and the new Stud-Up sneakers.