Valentino names Karim Zebdji global communications chief

Valentino, the Italian luxury house, has appointed Karim Zebdji as director of global communications. He starts on Monday, October 12, WWD reported on October 8.

It is a high-profile backstage job. The person in the post runs the organisation's press operation around the world. That means dealing with newspapers, magazines, stylists and photographers, and shaping how collections and announcements are presented.

Zebdji will be based in Milan, Italy's fashion business capital. He will report to Liran Peterzil, chief marketing officer of Valentino. Peterzil joined the house in February.

Zebdji joins from Saint Laurent, the Paris fashion house, where he was worldwide PR director. PR stands for public relations. He joined Saint Laurent almost 10 years ago. He knows Paris well. Earlier in his career he held communications roles at Hogan, the Italian footwear label, and Dunhill, the British menswear house.

At Valentino he succeeds Tanja Ruhnke. She left the house in May 2025. The role has therefore been open for more than a year. Valentino has been led by chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini since September 2025.

For anyone who follows fashion from the outside, this is one of the jobs that decides what you see. It covers front-row invitations, early access to collection images and interviews, and the day-to-day link between a design studio and the press. A change at the top does not alter the clothes. It can alter how the story of those clothes reaches the public.