This summer, the Valentino boutique on Madison Avenue becomes home to L’Atelier Sonore, an intimate sound installation curated by Alessandro Michele. Open from May 15th through the end of August 2025, the project transforms the boutique’s mezzanine into a contemplative listening room, blending acoustic design with couture spirit.
Alessandro Michele, now firmly shaping Valentino’s creative identity, conceived L’Atelier Sonore as a sanctuary for sonic experimentation. Developed in partnership with Terraforma, the influential Italian collective known for redefining the boundaries of sound and ecology, the project explores music as a medium of architectural and emotional resonance.
The immersive soundscape is composed by Giorgio Di Salvo, whose work pushes auditory experience into new territory. His collaboration with architect Francesco Lupia—who designed the bespoke audio console and velvet-clad modular furniture—anchors the room in sensorial tactility. For Giorgio Di Salvo, the space is not just a venue but an instrument, shaped by mood and silence alike.
Through Terraforma’s curatorial lens, the boutique becomes a platform for cross-disciplinary exchange. Alessandro Michele describes music as “a private ritual, a place where identity melts and reforms”—a notion echoed in the spatial choreography of the installation. The Valentino boutique, thus reimagined, hosts a ten-hour launch event on May 15th, featuring vinyl sets by Laurel Halo, Laraaji, and Chuquimamani-Condori, among others.
Following the opening, L’Atelier Sonore will remain open daily, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in curated playlists and occasional live sessions. As Terraforma founder Ruggero Pietromarchi notes, “this is not just listening, it’s a lived atmosphere.”
In uniting sound, design, and fashion, the Valentino boutique affirms Alessandro Michele’s vision of cultural alchemy—where collaboration with voices like Terraforma and Giorgio Di Salvo pushes Valentino’s legacy into richly experimental territory.
Photography courtesy of VALENTINO