Sombr masters palazzo style in his debut campaign for Valentino
The Grammy-nominated artist ushers in a new era of debonair dressing through the lens of Johnny Dufort
After countless standout Valentino moments (both on stage and on the red carpet), it was only a matter of time before Sombr made his campaign debut for the Italian fashion brand. Cementing his status as a modern muse for creative director Alessandro Michele, the Valentino brand ambassador heads to the palazzo of American artist Cy Twombly dressed in Pre-Fall 2026.
Up until now, Sombr’s Valentino style moments have served as the perfect complement to his showstopping persona. Among the other Best New Artist nominees at this year’s Grammys, the “12 to 12” singer sartorially outshone the competition in disco-ball tailoring. It’s refreshing, then, to see his debut campaign take a more relaxed approach to off-duty rockstar dressing.
While Alessandro Michele has long been contemporary fashion’s master of maximalism, his Pre-Fall 2026 collection strips things back to the basics. A masterclass in restrained decadence, a velvet robe sets the tone, draped with ease but sharpened by rockstar detail. Golden sequin pockets catch the light, proving that performance dressing never really ends. Elsewhere, fluid tailoring takes centre stage, lifted only by vintage-inspired prints.
Shot by renowned fashion photographer Johnny Dufort, the campaign leans into the architecture of the palazzo. Purchased by Twombly in 1975, the Roman villa became both home and studio, a private creative sanctuary where the artist worked for more than three decades. The result is less a traditional campaign than a study in atmosphere: a celebration of creativity framed through space, light, and movement.
But the palazzo’s fashion lineage stretches further back. In 1968, photographer Henry Clarke captured Valentino Garavani’s iconic White Collection inside the Roman apartment for Vogue US, situating couture within the intimate rhythm of domestic modernism. That moment quietly reframed how fashion could inhabit space – not as spectacle alone, but as part of lived-in environments shaped by art and architecture.
The campaign drop follows Sombr’s weekend two set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He amped up the performance of his latest single, “Homewrecker”, in custom Valentino by Alessandro Michele. A marching-band jacket, fringed with strands of silver, offered all the drama we’ve come to love from the artist’s relationship with Valentino.
Together, the moments feel like two sides of the same coin. From the high-voltage theatrics to the more understated elegance of his Pre-Fall 2026 debut, Sombr’s signature edge remains unmistakably intact. It’s fair to say he might just be music’s best-dressed.
Discover Valentino Pre-Fall 2026 at valentino.com.