Valentino’s Cruise 2026 campaign, titled Nocturne, invites viewers into a world suspended between waking and dreaming.
Conceived by Creative Director Alessandro Michele, the campaign explores the poetic in-between space where consciousness begins to yield to sleep.
Set within the quiet intimacy of a hotel, Nocturne reflects on the transient yet deeply personal nature of contemporary life. Each room becomes a fragment of a shared universe, where the private rituals of solitude — the act of resting, of surrendering to night — merge into a collective intimacy. The setting transforms the hotel into a metaphor for modern existence: a space of proximity without contact, where individual lives unfold in silent parallel.
Michele frames this threshold as both physical and emotional, a site where “the borders of sleep and wake become porous.” The result is a narrative that blurs the boundaries between isolation and togetherness, suggesting that in the stillness of night, private moments can take on universal meaning.
Directed by Renell Medrano with cinematography by Jack Exton, the campaign is captured through a lens of soft focus and introspection. Photographer Marili Andre and stylist Jonathan Kaye bring Michele’s vision to life with a palette that favours intimacy over spectacle. The visual language is supported by Victoria Salomoni’s set design, Yadim Carranza’s makeup, and Esther Langham’s hair direction, each contributing to the atmosphere of suspended quiet.
The cast blends artists and performers across disciplines, including Marisa Berenson, Dev Hynes, Anne Imhof, Dakota Johnson, Tate McRae, and Devon Teuscher. Models Aimee, Isabella, Edna, Weiyi, Harry, and Bukwop join the ensemble, embodying the campaign’s theme of isolated yet interconnected lives.
The campaign is underscored by Nocturne in E Flat by Frédéric Chopin, performed by Angus Pendergast. The classical composition lends the visuals a reflective rhythm, described as a “musical breath of a world that, for a fleeting instant, allowed itself to sleep together.”
