Birthworkers of Color Collective Abortion Doula Program Coordinator Christina Lares, right, provides information at the organization’s brick-and-mortar grand opening event on Sunday, December 17, 2023 in Long Beach.
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California’s insurance program for low-income residents, known elsewhere as Medicaid, started paying for doula services in January. Nearly a year later, it’s clear that without more doulas enrolled in the program, not every family will get the care they are entitled to receive.
OK, first, what is a doula? Doulas provide expecting and new mothers or birthing people with educational, emotional, and physical support before, during and after a baby is born. We made a guide to finding one.
Numbers please: As of mid-November, 180 individual doulas and about 70 doula organizations had completed the Medi-Cal provider enrollment process, according to the Department of Health Care Services.
And that's for how many babies? In 2021, 168,000 births were covered by Medi-Cal insurance— 40% of all births in the state. Research suggests many families are interested in doula support — 55% of recent parents insured through Medi-Cal said they would definitely want or consider a doula in a statewide survey from 2018.
What's the hold-up? A mix of things, but one of them is paperwork: “It's been an arduous process, a lot slower than we imagined.” said Birthworkers of Color Collective Co-Founder Stevie Merino, who’s based in Long Beach.
A Year After Medi-Cal Allowed Doula Services, Uptake Is Slow
The added benefit has the potential to make emotional, physical, and educational support during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum available to tens of thousands of families. It can also support a workforce that often chooses between their livelihood and serving low-income clients.
“I feel like this really bridges that gap of like, really like, sustainably doing the work for people who need it the most,” said Long Beach doula Andrea Howard.
Nearly a year after the benefit began, it’s clear that without more doulas enrolled in the program, not every family will get the care they are entitled to receive.
What doulas do
Doulas are not doctors or midwives. They don't deliver babies and they do not make medical decisions on a client's behalf or tell them what to do. Think of them more like coaches or advocates for pregnant people and their partners as they approach their due date, while they're giving birth, during the postpartum phase. Doulas also support people through miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion.
As of mid-November, 180 individual doulas and about 70 doula organizations had completed the Medi-Cal provider enrollment process, according to the Department of Health Care Services.
“It's been an arduous process, a lot slower than we imagined,” said Birthworkers of Color Collective Co-Founder Stevie Merino, who’s also based in Long Beach.
How many people with Medi-Cal have doulas now?
Only a tiny fraction of people insured through Medi-Cal have been able to access doula support so far.
What is Medi-Cal?
Medi-Cal is California’s public healthcare program for low-income residents and pregnant people. In other states, this program is called Medicaid. More than 15 million people were enrolled across California as of October 2023.
As of July, 50 Medi-Cal members had received doula services, according to DHCS. The data is an incomplete picture, because claims were still being processed and the total does not include the managed care plans through which most members receive their insurance.
In November, DHCS issued a statewide recommendation affirming that Medi-Cal members would benefit from doula support that could substitute for that of an individual provider.
LAist went to two of L.A. County’s largest Medi-Cal providers— Health Net and L.A. Care Health Plan— to learn more about how they’ve implemented the benefit since January.
L.A. Care Health Plan reported 79 members have received doula services since the benefit started in January.
“Members who are pregnant, recently given birth, or experienced loss have expressed gratitude for these services,” wrote L.A. Care Health Education Program Manager Kristin Schlater, in a statement.
A Health Net spokesperson said in a statement that the health plan has partnered with doulas throughout the state, but declined to share how many members had received services.
"Having a space really helps to normalize the work that we're trying to do," said Birthworkers of Color Collective co-founder Stevie Merino. "It creates that visibility in the communities that we are really trying to make doula work more accessible to."
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The rate of people dying from pregnancy and birth complications in California has declined in recent years, but there are still stark racial disparities. Black Californians die from pregnancy complications at a rate nearly four times higher than the general population.
The continuous support doulas provide is increasingly seen as part of the solution for the high rate of U.S. mothers and babies who die each year compared with other developed countries.
In 2021, 168,000 births were covered by Medi-Cal insurance— 40% of all births in the state. Research suggests many families are interested in doula support— 55% of recent parents insured through Medi-Cal said they would definitely want or consider a doula in a statewide survey from 2018.
How do doulas become Medi-Cal Providers?
In many cases, provider enrollment is only the first step to serving clients.
Then doulas have to contract with one or more of the managed care plans that provide health care access for the majority of California’s Medi-Cal recipients. In 2024 there will be six in L.A. County.
“That's really the challenge,” said Priya Batra, an OB-GYN and medical director for the L.A. County Department of Public Health's Health Promotion Bureau. “Not only bringing doulas and the community up to speed on these new processes, but then also trying to retrofit the system a little bit to make it easier for doulas to participate and for everyone who's eligible to take advantage of the benefit.”
An illustration of medicinal plants used by the Chamoru people — who are indigenous to Guam and Mariana Islands where Merino's family is from — hangs next to a chart that shows the stages of cervical dilation at the Birthworkers of Color Collective's space.
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Howard gave birth to her son Cub, left, without medication. “It was the most empowering thing I've ever done in my life, essentially," Howard said. Less than a year after her son was born, she enrolled in a doula training with the Birthworkers of Color Collective.
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In Los Angeles County, the Birthworkers of Color Collective is one of several organizations spreading the word about the benefit to Medi-Cal members and helping doulas enroll with the state.
“Doulas are not billers ... they're not contract negotiators,” co-founder Merino said. “They aren't used to working with huge conglomerates like insurance companies and managed care plans and so we've really been taking on the onus of that burden.”
"Birth is unpredictable," said doula Andrea Howard. "We can't control what happens, but if you feel like you've had some decisions, like some choices, some agency — you feel like you were an active participant in your labor process... then I feel like I've done my job."
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Andrea Howard, the Long Beach doula, is part of the collective and started the enrollment process in March. She said one of the biggest challenges was securing a business license from the city of Long Beach. It took more than a month and cost $260. She also spent about nearly $100 on required trainings, including CPR, and, to meet the requirement of some managed care plans, has liability insurance that costs about $30 a month.
Howard said she’s had a full roster of Medi-Cal clients since she finished signing up in June.
“This is what I've gone through all the red tape for,” Howard said. “It’s to be able to really get out there and serve people who are so grateful, so happy to have me, [and] did not think in their wildest dreams they'd be able to afford a doula.”
However, Howard is still waiting to get paid from some health insurers while the collective continues to negotiate with managed care plans.
“I'm OK with that because I see the bigger picture,” Howard said.
This is what I've gone through all the red tape for. It’s to be able to really get out there and serve people who are so grateful, so happy to have me, [and] did not think in their wildest dreams they'd be able to afford a doula.
The current average is about half of what Howard would charge a private client, but she said the consistency of Medi-Cal clients can make up the difference.
“You have to really think about how to do this work sustainably,” Howard said. “Because if you're going to births, but your lights are off at home, you're not going to be present enough for your client to really help them in the way that they need.”
The future of California’s Medi-Cal doula program
Los Angeles County is developing a doula resource hub that will provide new doula training, professional development for existing birth workers, and assistance with Medi-Cal billing.
“We're definitely enthusiastic about being able to have a backbone and support for the doula workforce, as well as the community,” said Ashley Skiffer-Thompson, the program coordinator for the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM) doula program.
ABOUT THIS STORY’S LANGUAGE
You might notice this story uses the term pregnant or birthing people. That's because our newsroom uses language in reproductive health that includes people of different genders who can give birth.
Next month, the Department of Health Care Services will again convene a workgroup of doulas, health advocates, and other stakeholders to discuss the Medi-Cal benefit and how it might be improved.
Merino, who’s participated in these meetings before, said one shortfall is the absence of money for community organizations to do outreach to Medi-Cal recipients and coach doulas through the enrollment process.
“Right now we're all essentially doing this because of our commitment to our communities,” Merino said. “But how sustainable is it if we aren't receiving funding for these things?”
Birthworkers of Color Collective: support for birth workers and doula training. The collective recently opened a physical space in Long Beach.
Frontline Doulas: a perinatal health program providing free doula services for qualified Black families in Los Angeles County. They’ve also published a handy resource guide on the Medi-Cal doula program.
National Health Law Program: The health education, advocacy and legal aid organization’s Doula Medicaid Project convenes stakeholders around, shares information about and advocates for doula programs across the country, including California’s.
Medi-Cal members who are pregnant or were pregnant in the last year are eligible for doula services, including to support pregnancies stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion.
The Department of Health Care Services has issued a statewide standing recommendation for doula services, so people no longer need approval from an individual licensed provider to start working with a doula.
The majority of Medi-Cal enrollees participate in a managed care plan and receive services through a single provider network. Here are the main providers in L.A. County and how to learn more about their doula benefit:
Health Net: Call member services at 800-675-6110 (TTY: 711) to find a contracted doula nearby. If a preferred doula is not contracted with Health Net, members have the option to request a single case agreement. The plan also offers two other programs geared toward expectant and new parents: Start Smart for Baby and First Year of Life.
L.A. Care Health Plan: Members can call the number on the back of their ID card to request doula services and learn more online. The plan also offers a maternal health text messaging program.
Enrollees who participate in fee-for-service would work with a doula who then bills the state directly for their services.
DHCS has the answers to more frequently asked questions regarding doula services for Medi-Cal members here.
President Donald Trump once insisted he had "nothing to do with Project 2025," the right-wing policy plan that became a key flashpoint during the presidential campaign. A year later, many of the policies have been implemented, from cracking down on immigration to dismantling the Department of Education.
What Trump said in 2024: Then-candidate Trump tried to dismiss the hysteria, calling the ideas "ridiculous" — and claiming he did not know who was behind it — even though key people involved in developing the plans served in his first administration. And when it was clear the firestorm would not go away, Trump went on the attack against those allies who wrote the playbook.
What he did after winning the election: Trump tapped Russell Vought, an architect of Project 2025, to lead the Office of Management and Budget — considered the nerve center of the White House. Other contributors followed. And Trump soon unleashed a flurry of orders reshaping the government, many of which were outlined in Project 2025.
Read on ... to learn how Democratic officials have responded.
President Trump once insisted he had "nothing to do with Project 2025," the right-wing policy plan that became a key flashpoint during the presidential campaign.
The Democrats tried to turn the 900-page Heritage Foundation-led blueprint to remake the government into a political boogeyman, and succeeded to some degree, but it wasn't enough to win the election.
A year later, many of the policies have been implemented, from cracking down on immigration to dismantling the Department of Education.
"A lot of the policies from Day 1 to the last day and in between that the administration has adopted are right out of Project 2025," said Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, who has used Project 2025 to prepare legal papers against the administration.
Concerns about the project started to bubble up over the spring of 2024, but really caught fire a few months later when actress Taraji P. Henson singled out Project 2025 while hosting the BET awards.
"Pay attention. It's not a secret. Look it up!" she said, speaking directly into the camera during the show. "They are attacking our most vulnerable citizens. The Project 2025 plan is not a game."
'Ridiculous'
Then-candidate Trump tried to dismiss the hysteria, calling the ideas "ridiculous" — and claiming he did not know who was behind it — even though key people involved in developing the plans served in his first administration.
And when it was clear the firestorm would not go away, Trump went on the attack against those allies who wrote the playbook.
"They're a pain in the a--," said Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, who tore into the organizers of Project 2025 at an event hosted by CNN and Politico during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
"Look, I think that in the perfect world, from their perspective, they would love to drive the issue set, but they don't get to do that," he added.
Yet days after winning, Trump tapped Russell Vought, an architect of Project 2025, to lead the Office of Management and Budget — considered the nerve center of the White House. Other contributors followed.
Trump soon unleashed a flurry of orders reshaping the government, many of which were outlined in Project 2025.
"As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female," he said during his inaugural address.
Trump ended diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He launched massive immigration enforcement and took the first steps to overhaul the federal workforce.
Bonta, the attorney general of California, said Project 2025 defined Trump's first year back in office. The country's 23 Democratic attorneys general studied Project 2025, consulted with each other and, he said, prepared a response for every potential action should it be taken.
"The existence of Project 2025 was the Trump administration telling us exactly what they were going to do and sending it to us in writing," Bonta said.
Bonta has filed or joined lawsuits that have successfully blocked Trump's policies requiring states like California to join his immigration crackdown, freeze of domestic federal funding and layoffs at agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education.
The White House dismissed concerns about Project 2025, calling them irrelevant theories from Beltway insiders.
"President Trump is implementing the agenda he campaigned on and that the American people voted for," said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
Jackson said the president focused on implementing the agenda he campaigned on — lowering gas prices, accelerating economic growth and securing the border.
Fueling controversy
Trump may have actually fueled the controversy by rejecting Project 2025 during the campaign, said Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former White House aide to George W. Bush.
"I would say that Project 2025 was largely standard conservative fare, but with a bit more of a MAGA flavor than previously."
Troy sees little difference between what the Heritage Foundation did with Project 2025 and what think tanks on the left and right have been doing for years compiling policy proposals for incoming presidents.
He pointed to the personnel and policy ideas of the Hoover Institution that helped shape the George W. Bush administration and the Center for American Progress' influence on the Obama administration.
"If the Trump campaign had leaned into it and said, 'sure, this is an agenda that has been put out as a think tank. This happens all the time. We will look at them in due time when the election is over,' " said Troy. "By criticizing and disavowing Project 2025, it suddenly became more radioactive."
Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025, says he never took the attacks personally, which he chalked up to political calculus.
He likened watching the president sign executive orders and directives that first came across his desk to being an animator who watches his or her sketchbook come to life on the big screen.
"I believe the proof is in the pudding," said Dans, who also served in the first Trump administration. "Every day that President Trump rolls out another Project 2025 item, it's really an endorsement of our work, myself and the work of thousands of patriots who came together."
Dans is now highlighting that work in a run for the Senate, against Trump-ally, Republican Lindsey Graham.
Trump did eventually embrace Project 2025 during the shutdown fight last fall.
He boasted of meeting with "Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame," while threatening to dismantle federal agencies.
"I can't believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," he said.
President Donald Trump says his controversial push for U.S. control of Greenland comes after he failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year, adding he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace.
U.S. president to Norway's leader: "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America."
The response: The Norwegian prime minister suggested diplomacy and noted that his government does not control the Nobel prizes.
Read on ... for more about the latest turn of events in the Greenland saga.
President Trump says his controversial push for U.S. control of Greenland comes after he failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year, adding he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace.
In a message to Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Sunday night, Trump criticized the European country for not giving him the prize.
"Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America," Trump said in the message.
"The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland," Trump added.
The message was reported by PBS NewsHour, and was later confirmed by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a statement.
Gahr Støre said he received the message on Sunday in response to a text he and Finland's President Alexander Stubb had sent to Trump, in which they had conveyed opposition to Trump's proposed tariff increases on eight European countries over the recent Greenland dispute.
In their message to Trump, according to The New York Times, which received a copy of the exchange from the Norwegian prime minister's office, Gahr Støre and Stubb wrote: "We believe we all should work to take this down and de-escalate — so much is happening around us where we need to stand together."
The pair suggested a joint call.
"Norway's position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter," Gahr Støre said. "We also support that NATO in a responsible way is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic."
Gahr Støre also pointed out that while President Trump claimed that Norway "decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize," the government of Norway is not responsible for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded by a five member Norwegian Nobel Committee since 1901.
The Danish navy's inspection ship HDMS Vaedderen sails off Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday.
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The Peace Prize, which was last awarded to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, is also awarded for the previous year. That means the most recent prize was awarded for 2024, before President Trump commenced his second term of office. Machado gave Trump her prize last week as a symbolic thank you for his recent actions in Venezuela.
In a phone interview with NBC News on Monday, Trump again claimed that the Norwegian government has control over the Nobel Peace Prize. "Norway totally controls it despite what they say," he said. Trump also said he would follow through on his threats to impose further tariffs. When asked whether he would use force to seize Greenland, the president replied: "No comment."
The European Union is set to hold an emergency summit on Thursday, in which attendees will discuss how to respond to the threats. In a statement on social media, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had "no interest to pick a fight" but would "hold our ground."
Trump's message to Gahr Støre comes as tensions rise between Europe and the United States over the status of Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that is strategically important and rich in resources.
On Monday, the World Economic Forum said officials from Denmark would not be attending the meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week. "We can confirm that the Danish government will not be represented in Davos this week," a spokesperson, Alem Tedeneke, told NPR.
On Sunday, in a collective rebuke to President Trump, the leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning recent U.S. tariff threats. The eight countries, which are all members of NATO, said that Trump's proposed tariffs "undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral."
On Saturday night, President Trump had written on his Truth Social social media platform that he would impose tariffs on imports from the countries, after they had deployed limited military personnel to Greenland to participate in a Danish-led Arctic exercise known as 'Arctic Endurance.'
Trump said America would levy a 10% tariff on goods from the eight countries starting on Feb. 1, which would rise to 25% on June 1, and remain in place "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland" by the United States.
The open dispute comes after weeks of increasingly assertive U.S. rhetoric regarding Greenland, in which Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is strategically vital to U.S. national security, citing its location and untapped mineral deposits.
In his text message, Trump questioned Denmark's right to claim Greenland. "Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a 'right of ownership' anyway? There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also," Trump said.
Trump made similar comments last week, saying "the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land," drawing mirth on social media, with comedians like Jon Stewart noting on The Daily Show "how do you think we got our land?"
Copyright 2026 NPR
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Kavish Harjai
reported from Exposition Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Updated January 19, 2026 6:18 PM
Published January 19, 2026 2:34 PM
People gather outside the California African American Museum in Exposition Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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At the California African American Museum’s annual King Day event, museumgoers listened to and reflected on a speech the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered less than a year before his assassination.
“Three Evils of Society”: As part of its program celebrating the civil rights leader, the Exposition Park museum played King’s keynote address to the 1967 National Conference on New Politics in Chicago. Attendees participated in a group discussion after.
Youth musicians: Later, the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles performed.
Read on … for more about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend is typically busy for the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. On Monday, the orchestra finished its third performance of the weekend at the California African American Museum, which included a musical rendition of the civil rights leader’s seminal “I Have a Dream Speech.”
It was flautist Tionna LeSassier’s first time playing with the orchestra on the federal holiday. Tionna said she began playing flute when she was 12.
“I feel really relieved that I was able to accomplish such a big performance for a really big holiday,” Tionna, who has been playing flute for more than two years, said. “I cannot believe I’m here playing with these amazing musicians.”
The orchestra’s performance, which included pieces like “We Shall Overcome” and the “Afro-American Symphony,” capped off the museum’s annual “King Day” celebration.
The event is held on the federal holiday that honors the legacy of the Baptist preacher whose nonviolent protests and eloquent speeches helped shift American attitudes about race in the 1960s and beyond and lead to landmark Civil Rights legislation.
Earlier in the day, museumgoers listened to and reflected on a recording by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. from 1967. Nearly 60 years later, event participants said, the words still feel fresh.
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are incapable of being conquered,” King said in “The Three Evils of Society,” his keynote address at the National Conference on New Politics in Chicago.
Cameron Shaw, executive director of the Exposition Park museum, told LAist on Monday that the speech has “incredible relevance to the political and social moment and what we’re going through as a people today.”
In a brief discussion after the speech, one attendee spoke about the need to interrogate racism as a systematic ill, not just as one-off acts, and another commented on the importance of standing up to injustice.
Shaw says the museum’s celebration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has evolved over the last several years, but one of the main throughlines she sees is the continued message of “speaking truth to power.”
“When we celebrate Dr. King today, we celebrate all of the folks past and present who have been brave enough to speak truth to power,” Shaw said. “That is something we truly need.”
Monday’s event also featured a faux stained glass workshop inspired by an exhibition the museum has on display about architect Amaza Lee Meredith.
In South L.A., an annual parade drew thousands of people, with a march concluding in Leimert Park. "It was a wonderful and powerful tribute to Dr. King’s memory to march down MLK Boulevard alongside so many friends and community members in the historic Leimert Park neighborhood," L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
A report of a stabbing marred the end of the event. Bass' statement said city officials were investigating and ensuring people got home safe. She added that "Los Angeles has zero tolerance for this type of violence."
Italian fashion designer Valentino died Monday at his Roman residence. He was 93.
Valentino's legacy: In the world of haute couture, Valentino embraced sophistication, elegance and traditional femininity through his dresses. His work embodied romance, luxury and an aristocratic lifestyle. He dressed the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Onassis, as well as modern stars, including Anna Wintour to Gwyneth Paltrow and Zendaya.
How he got his start: Valentino owed much of his success to his former lover and business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti. The two met in Rome in 1960, where Valentino had opened his first couture studio. They founded Valentino Company the same year. Together, the pair built a fashion empire over five decades.
Retirement: They sold the Valentino company in 1998 for nearly$300 million. It made $1.36 billion in revenue in 2021, according to Reuters.
Read on ... for more about Valentino's early life.
Italian fashion designer Valentino died Monday at his Roman residence. He was 93. His foundation announced his death on Instagram.
Dubbed an "international arbiter of taste" by Vogue, notable women wore his designs at funerals and weddings, as well as on the red carpet. He dressed the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Onassis, as well as modern stars, including Anna Wintour to Gwyneth Paltrow and Zendaya.
The image of style and lavish living, Valentino's signature features included crisp suits and a "crème brûlée" complexion — due to his fervor for tanning. He was heavily inspired by the stars he saw on the silver screen and had a lifelong fixation with glamour.
"I love a beautiful lady. I love a beautiful dog. I love a beautiful piece of furniture. I love beauty. It's not my fault," he said in The Last Emperor, a 2008 documentary about him.
In the world of haute couture, Valentino embraced sophistication, elegance and traditional femininity through his dresses and trademarked a vibrant red hue. His work embodied romance, luxury and an aristocratic lifestyle.
He was born Valentino Garavani and named after the silent movie star Rudolph Valentino. A self-described spoiled child, the designer acquired a taste for the expensive from a young age; his shoes were custom-made, and the stripe, color and buttons of his blazers were designed to his specifications.
His father, a well-to-do electrical supplier, and his mother, who appreciated the value of a well-made garment, catered to their young son's refined palate and later supported his fashion endeavors, sending him to school and financing his early work.
Growing up in the small town of Voghera, Italy, he learned sewing from his Aunt Rosa in Lombardy. After high school, he moved to Paris to study fashion and take on apprenticeships.
Valentino owed much of his success to his former lover and business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti. The two met in a café on the famed Via Condotti in Rome in 1960, where Valentino had opened his first couture studio.
They founded Valentino Company the same year, and its first ready-to-wear shop opened in Milan in 1969. Together, the pair built a fashion empire over five decades.
They separated romantically when Valentino was 30 but remained business partners and close friends. Valentino knew little about business and accounting before meeting Giammetti; together, they formed two parts of a whole — Giammetti the business mind, and Valentino the creative force.
"Valentino has a perfect vision of how a woman should dress," Giammetti told Charlie Rose in 2009. "He looks for beauty. Women should be more beautiful. His work is to make women more beautiful."
They sold the Valentino company in 1998 for nearly$300 million. It made $1.36 billion in revenue in 2021, according to Reuters.
Even after his retirement in 2008, he couldn't completely leave fashion behind and continued to design dresses for opera productions.
Once the fashion world became more accessible to the public, millions of aspiring fashionistas bought jeans, handbags, shoes, umbrellas and even Lincoln Continentals with his gleaming "V" monogram. By the peak of his career, Valentino's popularity would rival that of the pope's in Rome.
