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MILAN (AP) — Giorgio Armani, the Italian decorator who turned the conception of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar manner empire, has died, his manner location confirmed. He was 91.
Armani died astatine home, the manner location said. Armani, 1 of the astir recognizable names and faces successful the planetary manner industry, missed Milan Fashion Week successful June 2025 for the archetypal clip during the previews of Spring-Summer 2026 menswear to retrieve from an undisclosed condition. He was readying a large lawsuit to observe 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani manner location during Milan Fashion Week this month.
Starting with an unlined jacket, a elemental brace of pants and an municipality palette, Armani enactment Italian ready-to-wear benignant connected the planetary manner representation successful the precocious 1970s, creating an instantly recognizable relaxed silhouette that has propelled the manner location for fractional a century.
From the enforcement bureau to the Hollywood screen, Armani dressed the affluent and celebrated successful classical tailored styles, fashioned successful super-soft fabrics and muted tones. His handsome achromatic necktie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the amusement connected grant play reddish carpets.
At the clip of his death, Armani had enactment unneurotic an empire worthy implicit $10 billion, which on with covering included accessories, location furnishings, perfumes, cosmetics, books, flowers and adjacent chocolates, ranking him successful the world’s apical 200 billionaires, according to Forbes.
The decorator besides owned respective bars, clubs, restaurants and his ain hoops squad EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, amended known arsenic Olympia Milano. Armani opened much than than 20 restaurants from Milan to Tokyo since 1998, and 2 hotels, 1 successful Dubai successful 2009 and different successful Milan, successful 2010.
Armani himself was the instauration of his style
Armani benignant began with Giorgio Armani himself, from the penetrating bluish eyes framed successful a imperishable tan and early-age daze of metallic hair, to the trademark jeans and t-shirt enactment apparel and the minimalist decoration of his backstage homes.
Armani’s manner imaginativeness was that of easygoing elegance wherever attraction to item made the difference.
“I plan for existent people. There is nary virtuousness whatsoever successful creating apparel and accessories that are not practical,” helium liked to accidental erstwhile asked to place his clientele.
In conversation, the designer’s disarming grin and exquisitely mild manners belied the pugnacious businessman underneath, who was capable to crook originative endowment into a manner empire worthy implicit $10 billion. Never a merger nor a sale, Re Giorgio (King George) arsenic the Italians telephone him, was ever his ain boss.
Born July 11, 1934, successful Piacenza, a tiny municipality southbound of Milan, Armani dreamed of becoming a doc earlier a part-time occupation arsenic a model decorator successful a Milan section store opened his eyes to the satellite of fashion.
In 1975, Armani and his spouse Sergio Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to commencement up their ain menswear ready-to-wear label. Womenswear followed a twelvemonth later.
The awesome of his caller benignant was the liningless sports jacket, which was launched successful the precocious 1970s and became an instant occurrence from Hollywood to Wall Street. The decorator paired the overgarment with a elemental t-shirt, an point of covering helium termed “the alpha and omega of the manner alphabet.”
The Armani suit soon became a indispensable successful the closet of the well-heeled man. And for women, the instauration of the pantsuit successful the enforcement workroom was each but revolutionary. Dubbed the “power suit” with its shoulder-padded overgarment and man-tailored trousers, it became the trademark of the rising people of businesswomen successful the 1980s.
Over the years Armani would soften the look with delicate detailing, luxurious fabrics and brighter shades for his basal beige and grey palette. His insistence connected pants and jackets led immoderate critics to statement his manner “androgynous.”
Armani hits Hollywood
The 1980 movie classical “American Gigolo” launched some Armani and histrion Richard Gere connected their Hollywood careers. Dressed successful Armani, Gere became America’s caller favourite bosom throb, and “Geeorgeeo” arsenic they called him, the glam set’s astir fashionable designer.
The Hollywood transportation earned him wardrobe movie credits successful implicit 200 films, and successful 2003 a spot connected Rodeo Drive’s “Walk of Fame.”
Oscar nighttime ever sparkled, with astute suiting for the men, and glittering gowns for the ladies. The 2009 champion histrion victor Sean Penn picked up his statue successful a black-on-black Armani outfit, portion champion histrion nominee Anne Hathaway walked the reddish carpet successful a shimmering achromatic strapless evening gown from Armani’s latest Prive couture collection.
Other longtime devotees included Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Sofia Loren and Brad Pitt. David and Victoria Beckham were the “face” of his 2009 underwear advertisement campaign.
So important was the interaction of Armani style, not lone connected however radical dressed but however they approached fashion, that successful 2000 New York’s Guggenheim depository presented a retrospective of Armani’s archetypal 25 years successful fashion.
“I emotion things that property well, things that don’t day and go surviving examples of the implicit best,” Armani said of his efforts.
Armani has gone good beyond fashion
Today, the Armani empire has an service of much than 9,000 employees, with women comprising fractional of the enforcement suite, on with 7 concern hubs and implicit 600 stores worldwide, according to figures released successful 2023. Along with apparel and accessories, the institution produces perfumes, cosmetics and location furnishings, arsenic good arsenic selling its ain candy, flowers and adjacent books. The decorator opened his 5th multi-brand store connected New York’s fashionable Fifth Avenue successful February 2009.
In the realm of manner hobbies, Armani owned respective bars, restaurants and clubs, arsenic good arsenic the hoops team. Recreation clip was spent successful getaways successful Broni successful the countryside adjacent Milan, the isle of Pantelleria disconnected Sicily and St. Tropez connected the French Riviera. Each location bore the trademark of Armani design: bare walls, important pieces, fewer knickknacks.
Like galore of his colleagues, Armani tried to springiness backmost immoderate of the fame and luck helium amassed during the heyday of the “moda Milanese” which enactment Italian ready-to-wear astatine the halfway of the world’s manner representation astatine the crook of the millennium. Personally progressive successful respective foundation organizations devoted to children and a staunch protagonist of the conflict against AIDS, successful 2002 Armani was named a U.N. goodwill ambassador for refugees.
Galeotti died successful 1985. Armani had nary children but was precise adjacent to his niece Roberta, girl of his precocious member Sergio. She abandoned a budding movie vocation to go his manager of nationalist relations, and often represented her uncle, who wasn’t overmuch of a party-goer, astatine societal events. In aboriginal years she was a cardinal go-between with the personage world.
In 2006, she orchestrated the top-billed wedding of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes successful a medieval castle extracurricular Rome, portion Uncle Giorgio designed the attire for some bride and groom.
Armani had indicated that arsenic helium considered succession helium was looking toward his longtime caput of menswear Leo Dell’Orco and his niece Silvana Armani, who fills the aforesaid relation for womenswear.
