Giorgio Armani: The Italian fashion designer is dead

The Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani is dead. The designer, who has been successful for decades, died with his relatives at the age of 91, his group of companies said on Thursday.

“With infinite grief, the Armani group announces the death of its creator, founder and tireless drive: Giorgio Armani,” said the fashion house in a statement from which the news agency cited. He had worked until his last days and had now died in the circle of his loved ones, it said. Armani was one of the most influential fashion designers in the world.

The fashion designer Donatella Versace expressed her grief about Armani’s death. “The world has lost a giant today. He wrote history and will be remembered forever,” she wrote on Instagram. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke out of politics: “With his elegance, its modesty and his creativity, he helped to fame Italian fashion and inspired the whole world.”

The fashion icon had started as a self-taught man and built a fashion idium in the 1970s, which includes clothing, jewelry, perfumes, interior and luxury hotels.

Armani was considered a purist of the fashion world. He was known for designs by simple and casual elegance. The Italian was also extremely successful as a businessman. In 2022, his fashion parial achieved sales of 2.35 billion euros. His name has long been one of the classics of women’s fashion. Armani had Hollywood stars shine in noble individual creations, sold in large series in his shops but also perfume and jeans.

Armani was born on July 11, 1934 in Piacenza in the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. After the Second World War, the family moved to Milan, where the group headquarters are still located today. After graduating from high school, he started studying medicine, which he broke off after two years.

In the 1960s, he took the first steps in the world of fashion as a window decorator and buyer for the Italian department store chain La Rinascent. He delivered his first designs in the company of Italy’s old master Nino Cerruti (1930-2022). He never had a university degree or another finished training in his profession.

In the 1980s, Armani made a name for himself as the man who reinvented the men’s jacket. He took their stiffness to the suit, made everything softer, flowing, more casual. A second Armani revolution was that the T-shirt could also be worn for a suit.

Armani dressed in numerous Hollywood stars: Richard Gere in “American Gigolo” (German title: “A man for certain hours”), Kevin Costner (“The Unconnecting”), Tom Cruise (“Mission Impossible”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Wolf of Wall Street”). Oscar appearances by Nicole Kidman or Cate Blanchett in Armani are also remembered by many.

An important building block for success was in the partnership with his Italian compatriot Sergio Galeotti. Both founded the Giorgio Armani Spa group in 1975. Galeotti takes care of the financial issues until his early death in 1985. Since the death of his partner, Armani has had the reins of the fashion empire alone in his hand.

With an estimated assets of more than eleven billion euros, he made it to the “Forbes” list of the richest people in the world. He never went to the stock exchange with his group. He also rejected all takeover offers. Around the world, 8,700 employees, more than 2,000 shops, often in the best, and a dozen factories belong to the Armani group today.

Note: This article has been updated several times and added to further information.