Giorgio Armani, a ready-made stubborn in Milan who revolutionized fashion with his unstructured looks, died Thursday at the age of 91, his fashion house confirmed.
Armani died at home, Fashion House said. The fashion designer didn't appear at the runway show in June as he was recovering from a private illness. He was planning a major event this month at Milan Fashion Week to celebrate 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani Fashion House.
Armani posted ready-made Italian clothing on the international fashion map in the late 1970s, creating an instantly recognisable, relaxed silhouette that has been promoting fashion houses for half a century.
From executive offices to Hollywood screens, Armani was made in a rich and well-known classic tailored style with ultra-soft fabrics and muted tones. His handsome black tie outfit and glittering evening dresses often stole shows on the awards season red carpet.
At the time of his death, Armani had put together an empire of over 10 billion dollars. In addition to that, clothing included accessories, furniture, fragrances, cosmetics, books, flowers, and even chocolate.
The designer also owned several bars, clubs, restaurants, and his own basketball team, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, known as Olympia Milan. Armani has opened more than 20 restaurants from Milan to Tokyo since 1998, one in Dubai in 2009 and the other in Milan in 2010.
Armani himself was the basis of his style
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Armani's style began from Giorgio Armani himself, from permeated blue eyes surrounded by permanent sunburn and early impacts of silver hair, to his trademark jeans and t-shirt workwear, and minimalist ornaments in his private home.
Armani's fashion vision was a fashion vision of elegance, with attention to detail making a difference.
“I design for real people. There's no virtue in creating clothes and accessories that are not practical,” he liked to say when asked to identify customers.
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In the conversation, the designer's disarming smiles and exquisitely gentle manners have enabled him to turn his creative talent into a fashion empire that exceeds $10 billion. Mergers and sales, Regiorgio (King George) has always been his own boss, just as the Italians call him.
Born on July 11, 1934 in Piacenza, a small town south of Milan, Armani dreamed of becoming a doctor before working part-time as a window maker at a Milan department store.
In 1975, Armani and his partner Sergio Galeotti launched their own menswear ready-made labels, selling Volkswagen for $10,000. Women's clothing continued a year later.
His new style symbol was launched in the late 1970s and became a success from Hollywood to Wall Street. The designer paired the jacket with a simple T-shirt, a clothing item that he called “Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet.”
Armani suits quickly became a must-have in the heeled man's closet. And for women, the introduction of pantsuits in the executive workroom was all revolutionary. Called “power suits,” a jacket with shoulders and human trousers, it became a trademark of the businesswomen's rising class in the 1980s.
Over the years, Armani softened the look with delicate details, luxurious fabrics and bright shades of his basic beige and gray palette. His claims about pants and jackets led critics to label his fashion “hermothermore.”
Armani hits Hollywood
The 1980 film Classic American Gigolo launched both Armani and actor Richard Gere during his Hollywood career. Dressed in Armani, Gere became America's new favorite heart pounding, and became “Geeargeeo” who called him the Glam Set's most popular designer.
Hollywood Connection won wardrobe movie credits in over 200 movies and won the “Walk of Fame” location on Rodeo Drive in 2003.
Oscar nights always sparkled, with smart suits for men and glittering gowns for women. 2009 Best Actor winner Sean Penn picked up the statue in a black-on-black Armani outfit, while best actress candidate Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in a sparkling white strapless evening dress from Armani's latest Prab Couture collection.
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Other longtime followers include Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Sofia Lauren and Brad Pitt. David and Victoria Beckham were “faces” in the 2009 underwear ad campaign.
At the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2000, the influence of the Armani style was very important, not just how people dressed, but also how they approached fashion.
“I love old things, and I love what's not dating is the absolute best living example,” Armani said of his efforts.
Armani is far beyond fashion
Today, the Armani Empire has an army of over 9,000 employees, with women making up half of the executive suite, and according to figures released in 2023, there are seven industrial hubs and more than 600 stores worldwide. The designer opened his fifth multi-brand store on Fashionable Fifth Avenue in New York in February 2009.
In the area of fashion hobbies, Armani owned not only a basketball team, but also several bars, restaurants and clubs. Recreation hours were spent on vacation in the countryside Broni near Milan, Pantereria off the coast of Sicily, and St. Tropez on the French Riviera. Each house had a trademark for Armani's design: bare walls, important works, a few small items.
Like many of his colleagues, Armani tried to return some of the fame and fortune he accumulated during the heyday of “Moda Milanese,” which placed Italian at the centre of the world's fashion map at the turn of the millennium. In 2002, Armani was personally involved in several charities dedicated to children and solid supporters of the fight against AIDS.
Galeotti passed away in 1985. Armani had no children, but he was very close to Roberta, the daughter of his late brother Sergio. She abandoned her budding film career and became a director of public relations, often representing her uncle, who was not a party attendant in social events. In her later years she was on an important journey with the world of celebrities.
In 2006, she coordinated the wedding of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' Topville in a medieval castle on the outskirts of Rome, and Uncle Giorgio designed the outfits for both the bride and the flower groo.
When Armani considered inheritance, he had shown that he had been looking at the long heads of his long menswear Leo Delcorco and his Nie Silvana Armani.