Mario Valentino?? What is the real deal?
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Hi! I do not own a brand new Mario Valentino item now but I used to own made in Italy vintage pieces (a boston bag and a matching clutch) that came from Japan. (I wish I can retrieve pictures of these items from my hard drive for you to see but those where from 5 years back I think.) I can say that his vintage items were very well made and I don't think he copied bag styles/designs when he was still alive and overseeing his company. Like someone commented earlier, he pre-dated Garavani. The leather and gold-tone brass hardware he used on the items I had were very sturdy and durable. The brass pieces still had luster. The so-called "copycat" styles/designs of Mario Valentino today are the idea (or lack of) of those managing his company now and from the posts I've read (I haven't seen a new generation MV bags), they have not lived up to the good, ol' Mario Valentino standards. Just my 2 cents. [emoji4]
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I believe the inspired copies is now an lower end line of "Valentino BY Mario Valentino" of the brand Mario Valentino. Logo from Mario Valentino is very different from Valentino By Mario Valentino, which I find interesting. The investors must be learning their mistake of trying to revive the company. 
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Yea, I know that since they are their actually names it's not anything to sue over, and they seem to change the designs just enough to not be sued. It bugs me about all knock-off brands that do that though :/ Guess there isn't much to be done legally. It just bugs me to see that this brand is fooling so many people!
I was aware that they are in no relation to each other and that Mario Valentino passed and is no longer designing the bags. I was just mentioning how the brand is now and how much it bothers me that the people behind the current brand are doing this.
I believe the inspired copies is now an lower end line of "Valentino BY Mario Valentino" of the brand Mario Valentino. Logo from Mario Valentino is very different from Valentino By Mario Valentino, which I find interesting. The investors must be learning their mistake of trying to revive the company.
Yes, all of the inspired bags are technically Valentino by Mario Valentino. Still seems silly to me that their "lower end" line would cost so much (the bags supposedly retail for $800+, but they are ALWAYS on sale everywhere you look). For the late Mario Valentino's sake, I hope the current brand "designers" stop copying these bags. It sounds like the real Mario Valentino bags used to be very high quality and great bags. I'm sure that department stores are only making sales on these bags because the majority of consumers get the brand confused with Valentino Garavani.
http://valentinobags.com/pages/history
(Scroll down to see history - the "next section" headings aren't links)
Interesting!
(Scroll down to see history - the "next section" headings aren't links)
Interesting!
Mario Valentino Spa was founded by Mario Valentino in 1952 in Naples, where is still today the head office. The company works with its own Trademark in leather goods world, producing footwear, accessories and clothes.
The first shoes bringing the Trademark “Valentino” were made in the early 20th century in Naples by Mario’s father, Vincenzo Valentino, who had been considered the best craftsman in the world, since the beginning of his valued work. Even King Vittorio Emanuele ordered some shoes to him.
In his small factory in Naples, he created wonderful made to measure shoes: light, elegant, demanded and very expensive. In fashion anthologies Mario Valentino is remembered as the creator of the legendary stiletto heel and of the common woman moccasin.
He was also the creator of the precious coral sandal, still exhibited at the Bally Shoe Museum in Schoenenwerd (Switzerland), close to the shoes Queen Elisabeth wore on her wedding day.
The preciousness of this shoe gave him the first cover of Vogue France in 1956 and allowed the company to sign a contract with I.Miller in New York, the only one overseas company, which imported luxury shoes at that time and distributed them in the USA.
The founder of Mario Valentino Company was deeply keen on art and considered fashion as a similar and permeable world. Many artists such as Warhol, Pomodoro and Rauschenberg appreciated and shared this concept.
In 1956 the factory was built in Naples, in one of the oldest quarters of the city.
In the seventies and eighties top models, such as Veruska and Naomi Campbell help the trademark to be successful and photographers as Robert Mapplethorpe, Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton showed Mario Valentino design philosophy as a real form of art.
Some of the most famous customers were Farah Diba, Jacklin Kennedy Onassis, Consuelo Crespi, Maria Callas, Liz Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Catherine Spaak, le gemelle Kessler, Monica Vitti, Ornella Vanoni, Ilaria Occhini, Laura Efrikian, Stefania Sandrelli and Marcello Mastroianni.
Mario Valentino received many awards by important people, such as the Italian Republic President and Ronald Regan.
The first shoes bringing the Trademark “Valentino” were made in the early 20th century in Naples by Mario’s father, Vincenzo Valentino, who had been considered the best craftsman in the world, since the beginning of his valued work. Even King Vittorio Emanuele ordered some shoes to him.
In his small factory in Naples, he created wonderful made to measure shoes: light, elegant, demanded and very expensive. In fashion anthologies Mario Valentino is remembered as the creator of the legendary stiletto heel and of the common woman moccasin.
He was also the creator of the precious coral sandal, still exhibited at the Bally Shoe Museum in Schoenenwerd (Switzerland), close to the shoes Queen Elisabeth wore on her wedding day.
The preciousness of this shoe gave him the first cover of Vogue France in 1956 and allowed the company to sign a contract with I.Miller in New York, the only one overseas company, which imported luxury shoes at that time and distributed them in the USA.
The founder of Mario Valentino Company was deeply keen on art and considered fashion as a similar and permeable world. Many artists such as Warhol, Pomodoro and Rauschenberg appreciated and shared this concept.
In 1956 the factory was built in Naples, in one of the oldest quarters of the city.
In the seventies and eighties top models, such as Veruska and Naomi Campbell help the trademark to be successful and photographers as Robert Mapplethorpe, Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton showed Mario Valentino design philosophy as a real form of art.
Some of the most famous customers were Farah Diba, Jacklin Kennedy Onassis, Consuelo Crespi, Maria Callas, Liz Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Catherine Spaak, le gemelle Kessler, Monica Vitti, Ornella Vanoni, Ilaria Occhini, Laura Efrikian, Stefania Sandrelli and Marcello Mastroianni.
Mario Valentino received many awards by important people, such as the Italian Republic President and Ronald Regan.
Guys, guys. I basically grew up surrounded by Mario Valentino handbags and wallets, since my mom is so fond of the brand. There's no copyright issue. Actually, Mario Valentino is an older brand, founded in 1952 by Mario Valentino in Napoli, Italy, while Valentino Garavani was founded in 1960. He became more popular, but that doesn't mean that Mario is fake. -.- I really appreciate his works. Someone is copying Valentino (Mario) designs and sells them for the same price as the originals. I own more than 37 bags and I can't love them more. They are made out of luxurious materials, so don't be fooled by cheap fakes. 
All the love.
All the love.
i own a couple of valentino by mario valentino bags , the first one i bought 2 and half years ago and still look stylish, i bought them from saks, i have to say its great quality , the leather is beautiful , made in italy and i love the fact that i didn't have to spent 3000 dollars to have a valentino.
i found out later from my mom that this is the original valentino brands by mario valentino from italy.
happy V day
i found out later from my mom that this is the original valentino brands by mario valentino from italy.
happy V day
While I appreciate the sentiments about Mario Valentino, I'm thoroughly disinterested in this brand. Valentino Garavani, on the other hand, is a subject of my interest. But here is what had happened to me. I've purchased (on eBay) a bag which has Valentino Garavani written in two places - the inside label and the outside of the bag. I can't point exactly what prompted me to check its authenticity, but something didn't feel good. So I contacted www.valentino.com customer care rep. Here is what they said:
"Regarding your request, we inform you that the Aphrodite python bag is a product of Mario Valentino which is a separate and unaffiliated brand with Valentino S.p.a Group founded by Valentino Garavani. As we cannot provide you with the necessary assistance, we suggest you to contact the Customer Care at Mario Valentino."
A few of you have indicated that Mario Valentino is (or was?) a rather reputable company. So, given that, I assume they would not STEAL the name and just drop on the bag "Valentino Garavani" labels. That leads me to believe that the bag could be completely FAKE! However, it's a super-reputable eBay seller - on one side. On another side, I have a REAL Valention Garavani boutique customer care rep saying that it's Mario Valentino (apparently with the stolen!!! from Garavani name). I have the time to return the product, but I need a proof that it's not authentic.
P.S. the seller stands by the bag's authenticity and say "it IS Valentino Garavani"
Please help!!!
"Regarding your request, we inform you that the Aphrodite python bag is a product of Mario Valentino which is a separate and unaffiliated brand with Valentino S.p.a Group founded by Valentino Garavani. As we cannot provide you with the necessary assistance, we suggest you to contact the Customer Care at Mario Valentino."
A few of you have indicated that Mario Valentino is (or was?) a rather reputable company. So, given that, I assume they would not STEAL the name and just drop on the bag "Valentino Garavani" labels. That leads me to believe that the bag could be completely FAKE! However, it's a super-reputable eBay seller - on one side. On another side, I have a REAL Valention Garavani boutique customer care rep saying that it's Mario Valentino (apparently with the stolen!!! from Garavani name). I have the time to return the product, but I need a proof that it's not authentic.
P.S. the seller stands by the bag's authenticity and say "it IS Valentino Garavani"
Please help!!!
Can't you show the seller your communication with the Valentino Rep that told you it's not a Garavani? That seems like all the proof you would need.
The story has an interesting twist. The seller kept maintaining that the bag is a REAL deal. I contacted the customer care at Valentino with more images and the description of the situation. Here is what I got back: "
We kindly confirm you that your bag is an original Valentino product, we apologize for any inconvenience. Should you require any other information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your continued interest in Valentino."
Go figure. But, I'm glad I followed thru. One thing is still strange - there is no serial number on this bag and it was sold in the outlet. Do the real Valentino bags even go to the outlets? But, the main lesson learned: a seller is not always wrong.
great, no all of them have serial numbers and do pop up in saks outlet near me
Maybe I'm not looking in the right place? Where should I look for the serial number?