The Royal Money Powering Balmain and Valentino’s Runway Shows

Fashion and warfare are not frequent bedfellows. Yet during the closing weeks of the international runway season, two of the most closely watched shows – Balmain and Valentino – shared an unexpected connection to geopolitics. Both are backed by the same Qatari royal investment group.

The royal family’s famed French fashion house Balmain enjoyed the powerful debut of its new creative director Antonin Tron last week in Paris. And just the other night, Italian couture house Valentino brought down the curtains on the 33-day international runway season with a stellar show in Rome. 

Both Balmain and Valentino are controlled by Mayhoola, the well-resourced inve...