Energy-saving in fashion, Valentino turns off lights early

MILAN - Italian brand Valentino has decided to switch off the lights in its shops earlier at night to save energy and give a signal of "environmental awareness", following in the footsteps of the French luxury giant LVMH.

Starting from last night, lights in around 95 Valentino's boutiques around the globe were to be turned off nightly at 10 p.m., the company said on Friday, adding it estimates a daily decrease in energy consumption of over 800 kWh.

As Europe faces the risk of an energy crisis, LVMH said last month it would turn off the lights in stores three hours earlier at 10 p.m. starting in France in October, with plans to roll out the energy-saving measure in other parts of the world at a later stage.