The Italian fashion giant celebrated his 90th birthday with fashion shows in Milan and New York, and with the opening of a spectacular building bringing five decades of his creativity under one roof
Giorgio Armani tops several global fashion designer lists. He is the richest: according to Bloomberg, his estimated worth is over $13 billion. He is the industry’s longest-active veteran.
A lifetime dedicated to fashion
At the end of July, two weeks after his 90th birthday, he greeted the audience at the end of the women’s autumn winter 2024/2025 fashion show at Milan Fashion Week. He did it again in mid-October, this time on the other side of the world, in New York for the presentation of his 2025 spring collection, which he symbolically named In Viaggio (Travelling).
He presented a line comprising 90 fashion combinations at the Park Avenue Armory in front of 650 black-tied guests. The show was opened by a model wearing a short beige jacket and trousers tucked into boots, followed by a model dressed as a bellhop. It wasn’t just a retrospective of the Italian king of fashion’s 49 years of business, but it looked like a confirmation of freshness, the beauty of the simplicity of men’s and women’s fashion, refined luxury and genuine quality.
Timeless aesthetic
Super elegant pants, suits, jackets, blouses, capes, evening dresses, and fashion accessories from shoes, sandals, boots, handbags, hats, scarves, belts to glasses – all of this seemed like keepsakes collected on a long trip around the world, exuding incredible harmony.
His recognizable neutral tones alternated and intertwined on the runway, ranging from anthracite, beige, pale grey, blue and pink, to sandy and earthy tones, with fringes and beads decorating evening dresses.
In his version of muted luxury, Giorgio Armani managed to make both male and female models on the runway look elegant, casual and seductive. He first left his mark on the world of fashion as a men’s clothes designer. During the New York fashion show, a reminder of this was a model looking like Richard Gere in the 1980 film ‘American Gigolo’, directed by Paul Schrader.
The scene is anthological: while picking out the best combination for a date with a married woman (Lauren Hutton), young Julian (Gere) casually throws shirts and suits on the bed that were designed by Armani for the film. Everything fits Gere perfectly in the film thanks to Armani’s soft approach to tailoring and the choice of fabrics, a combination that gave the previously strict men’s suits a new dose of sensuality in movement.
From medical student to fashion mogul
The three years Armani spent studying medicine clearly helped him master the human body’s mobility, so when he decided to change careers, he designed clothes for casual movement with ease. He was born on 11 July 1934 in Piacenza, a town in northern Italy, to a family of modest means. Father Ugo was an accountant in a transport company, and mother Maria Raimondi ran the household and took care of the children: sons Sergio, Giorgio and their younger sister Rosanna.
Life was difficult for the Armanis during World War II, but they enrolled their younger son in Milan’s Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci secondary school. Convinced that he wanted to be a doctor, he began studying medicine at the University of Milan, but in 1953 he interrupted it and joined the army. He was assigned to duty at the military hospital in Verona.
Occasional trips to shows in the Verona Arena awakened a creative nerve in him, so instead of continuing his studies after completing his military service, he found his first permanent job: window decorator at the famous Rinascente department store in Milan. He was soon promoted to a menswear salesman, and along the way he began designing clothes himself.
His friend Sergio Galeotti encouraged him to offer his creations to the established fashion house Nino Cerruti, and after a notable fashion show in Florence, Armani and Galeotti founded Giorgio Armani SpA in 1975. Private and business partners ran it together until Galeotti’s sudden death in 1985. In the meantime, the business expanded into fashion accessories, perfumes, cosmetics, sportswear, watches, jewelry, interior design for homes and superyachts, restaurants, hotels and real estate.
A global brand
Armani was one of the first to understand how important it is to have music, film and sports stars sitting in the front rows of fashion shows. For decades, winners of Oscars, Golden Palms and Golden Bears wore his designs. In addition, he created clothes for about a hundred films and TV shows, and jerseys for the Italian Olympic and Paralympic teams.
‘I have always wanted the Armani brand to be an expression of lifestyle, sophisticated simplicity, a sign of elegance in every area, and food as the most important element of life cannot be overlooked,’ he said.
The Armani empire has more than 20 restaurants around the world – from Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Munich and Dubai, while the Japanese-Mediterranean cuisine as well as the interiors at Armani Hotels & Resorts are a reflection of his sophisticated aesthetics.
Lasting legacy
He leads a private life out of the spotlight and rarely does interviews. Fashion experts heading the different divisions in the company have been there for years. He owns the Olimpia Milano basketball club and likes to spend times with his friends on a 65-meter long, dark green superyacht, built in Italy’s Codecasa shipyard, with which he sometimes used to sail to Korčula, Brač and Hvar and dine in local restaurants.
His favorite dish is tortelli piacentini with spinach and ricotta because it reminds him of his childhood. Since he has no children, there has been speculation as to who will take over the management of his empire for years. He fought for years to keep Giorgio Armani SpA independent, avoiding mergers and acquisitions so common in the luxury sector, so he still controls almost the entire company.
He has no intention of slowing down when it comes to business. This was the first time a season’s main fashion show was held outside Milan.
He chose New York to coincide with the opening of a new building on Madison Avenue. This luxurious building houses his life’s work under one roof: men’s and women’s fashion boutiques, a VIP shopping area, Armani Casa, a restaurant, ten luxuriously equipped private residences, one of which belongs to him.
On the occasion of the spectacular fashion show and Madison Avenue building opening, he answered the media’s questions about succession plans with a short written statement. He didn’t rule out the possibility of a change in ownership and announced that he plans to retire in the next two or three years.
A man full of incredible energy, almost five decades after designing his first collection, he is still synonymous with refined glamor in all aspects of contemporary living.
Text Dubravka Tomeković Aralica
Photos Reuters / Caitlin Ochs, Armani Hotel Dubai, Allstar Picture Library Limited. / Alamy Stock Photo & Armani Casa
