FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Following the passing of legendary designer Valentino Garavani on January 19, Italian media have uncovered a touching story that remained a secret for more than 30 years. A story that once again restores Valentino's image not only as an icon of fashion and elegance, but as a man with an extremely humane heart.
It is the story of Sarah Silvestri, today a woman and international lawyer, who was quietly helped by the famous designer, without fanfare and without ever asking for recognition.
It all started in February 1992, when Giovanni, Sara's father, walked into Valentino's atelier in Rome looking for work. He was an intelligent man, speaking four languages, but struggling with drug addiction. Valentino took an immediate liking to him and offered him a job. However, Giovanni hesitated, saying he had a young daughter and needed a secure job. He promised to come back if the next offer didn't work out.
But he never got around to keeping that promise. A few hours later, Giovanni died of an overdose, despite having been sober for months. His daughter has said that hallucinogenic substances were laced into his drink precisely because he had recovered. A doctor was later forced to pay compensation to the family.
When the story broke in the media, Valentino recognized Giovanni's face and sent his men to Tor Bella Monaca to find the little girl who had been left without a father. From that moment on, a parallel life began for Sara.
The designer quietly cared for her for years: food, clothes, books, schooling, even a part of her first car. Valentino became a "shadow father" to her, always present but never visible.
"I only realized when I got older how much he had done for me. He never made us feel alone," Sarah says. "He was a spiritual support for me."
Years pass and between 2013–2015, Sarah lives in New York, working various jobs to pay the rent. When she learns that Valentino is in town for a fashion event, she finally decides to thank him. His partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, offers her a collaboration with the Valentino fashion house, but she refuses.
"Like my father, I said no. My dream was to become a lawyer. I studied for seven years for that," she explains.
A dream born in childhood, when she saw her grandmother confronting the doctor in court: "I wanted to defend people like my father, those who have no voice."
Today, Sarah Silvestri is an international lawyer and proud of the path she has taken, despite the pain and difficulties.
"My father left a mark that afternoon in the studio without knowing it. He went to look for a job and left me a fortune," she says, bidding farewell to Valentino with deeply moving words:
“Today I mourn a man who embodied the highest elegance. Not that of a suit, but that of a soul. A helping hand when no one is looking. A gentle push that allows you to walk the rest of the way alone.”
Lini një Përgjigje