The latest beauty line to be launched by a fashion house has just come to life, and it’s even better than you could have imagined. Vogue’s beauty and lifestyle director Jessica Diner speaks to Valentino creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, about the brand’s first foray into make-up.

Through your work as Maison Valentino creative director, you have always developed a strong aesthetic. How does the launch of a beauty line enrich this?

I thought a lot about the idea of introducing a make-up line because I wanted to be sure that it could translate the couture DNA of our brand, adding a very individual twist. Couture is about excellence of execution, but it is also able to evaluate a very personal approach. So when it came to deciding the direction and the intention of our make-up line, the ingredients on the table had to match with everything I stand for and that we stand for as a brand – the celebration of self-expression through formulas that could not only help but magnify this attitude.

You often say that fashion helps you to deliver your values. What are these values and how does beauty also help you to deliver them?

For the past couple of seasons we did a lot of street casting for the shows, and the more I observed the girls and boys coming to the rehearsal, the more I was intrigued by their personalities, by their attitude and also, yes, by the way they choose to wear make-up as well. It can be just a tiny sign under the eyes or something more radical, but it is a real expression of who they are and how they want to be seen. Values to me are simply what define us as human beings; inclusivity, equality, empathy. And I can’t think of anything more inclusive than make-up. To be honest this is my daughter’s mantra and I totally agree.

You always say that you want to create dreams and emotions – how can make-up deliver this?

For a long time I think that fashion has been a little one-dimensional... It was just a beautiful surface and probably that made sense at the time, but not now – or at least this is not what I am interested in. I always talk about emotions because I think that without them a beautiful dress is just a dress… So my job is to add depth to a surface that would otherwise be flat, and I think that make-up is able to add another layer of emotion and meaning, so that the final result will be, hopefully, the perception of three-dimensional beauty.

You have used lots of strong Valentino Codes for the beauty collection, including the colour red and the V logo. What inspired you?

I worked intensely with my team to choose the best way to collect the Valentino feeling in all of our products – of course, our heritage is there, but mostly our identity today, and we all agreed that the V logo was the best choice to convey everything. And red, well, Rosso Valentino speaks for itself. But it was always the biggest inspiration that we received from couture that took the lead. Our couture shows are always the perfect field to experiment with some very extravagant, bold and memorable make-up looks. The freedom we have in that case is, of course, linked to the nature of couture itself. I can be free with my imagination, having the most powerful tools to express that, and I wanted to give the same feeling to our beauty line. This is also the reason why you will find products that have a super versatile attitude.

More than being creative director, you are the photographer behind the advertising campaign. How did you embrace this new role? Why was it so important for you? 

I knew that it wasn’t just a campaign, it was – it is – more than that. We are making a statement of which I am really proud of, and I wanted to be a hundred per cent sure that what the world saw would be the image I had in mind, not an interpretation of it… so I had to take the job.

Diversity and inclusivity seem very present in this beauty line. How did you marry that with the couture heritage of the maison?

I think that to be relevant heritage should be meaningful to the current world we are living in. Couture is made by incredible artisans and professionals that for decades were able to translate the vision of designers into dream dresses. And the ability to create dreams – the spirit behind that concept could easily be translated into an approach made of good taste, masterful execution, freedom and elevation of individualities, and our beauty line is the thread that binds everything together. The possibility to create is far more important than creation itself.

The campaign features 16 models that can be also seen in your show. What was the vision behind that? 

I wanted to deliver the same image that Valentino has right now. I work to deliver the aesthetic that I love and that is also the force that pushes my inspirations; the most interesting aspect of humanity lays in our so called differences, and those differences to me are the best aspects of our existence. This is why you will find a range of 40 foundations shades and 50 lipstick colours. I wanted everyone to have the possibility to play with our products, matching not only their skin but also their emotions. This is also the reason why I didn’t want to have just one testimonial for the line but girls, boys, different personalities and cultures, including my daughter – it is a big powerful group and not all of them are models. I am not proposing an aesthetic diktat; this beauty line welcomes all beauties, and it is made for everyone who wants to embrace their own uniqueness.

The Valentino Beauty collection launches in Selfridges on 31 May.