Valentino turns a bookstore into a love story

For Qixi 2026, Valentino unveils a campaign photographed by Wing Shya inside a bookstore, where the Pre Fall 2026 collection accompanies a story of chance encounters, memories and quiet intimacy.

A bookstore becomes the setting for a story shaped by glances, handwritten notes and encounters suspended between memory and imagination. Conceived by Alessandro Michele and photographed by Wing Shya, the latest Valentino campaign stars Lars Huang, newly appointed Friend of the Maison, alongside Yidan Huang and Zen Yue, wearing looks from the Pre Fall 2026 collection. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

The setting reflects luxury fashion’s growing interest in literature and publishing. Miu Miu has developed Literary Club and Summer Reads, Saint Laurent opened its Babylone bookshop, and Louis Vuitton has built an extensive publishing programme. Valentino has also explored this territory through ‘The Narratives’ and ‘Dream Baby Press for Valentino’, reinforcing the relationship between luxury and literary culture.

Created for China’s traditional festival of love, the campaign continues Michele’s narrative vision through the cinematic language of Shya. Books and clothing coexist within a story that turns the anticipation of an encounter into its central theme.