Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani was born in Piacenza, Italy, and grew up during the hardships of the Second World War. As a child, he was severely burned when an unexploded artillery shell detonated, killing a close friend. He later said that the experience taught him that not everything was glamorous.

Armani initially studied medicine at the University of Milan, but left after three years and completed military service. His first fashion experience came at La Rinascente in Milan, where he worked as a window dresser, sales clerk and menswear buyer. The shop floor became his practical education in fabrics, construction and customer preferences.

In the 1960s, Armani joined Nino Cerruti, where he designed menswear. He also worked freelance for several manufacturers before opening a Milan design office with Sergio Galeotti in 1973.

Armani and Sergio Galeotti founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in Milan on 24 July 1975. Armani presented his first menswear and womenswear ready-to-wear collections that year, with the women's line following the same emphasis on fluid construction and restrained colour.

His approach challenged rigid, heavily structured tailoring. He softened men's suits by reducing internal structure, removing shoulder padding and loosening the silhouette, while giving women's clothing a more tailored and traditionally masculine authority. The resulting designs offered an androgynous language of dress that became especially influential in professional clothing.

A 1978 agreement with Gruppo Finanzario Tessile enabled the company to produce luxury ready-to-wear at scale. Armani subsequently established a presence in the United States and introduced further lines, helping turn the label into an international fashion house.

Armani's international breakthrough came through cinema. He designed Richard Gere's wardrobe for American Gigolo in 1980, placing the actor in tailored Armani clothing throughout much of the film. The association connected Armani's minimalist style with Hollywood glamour and introduced his work to a broad American audience.

He later designed costumes for more than one hundred films, including The Untouchables, and supplied clothing for the television series Miami Vice. His work also helped establish the designer as a major force in celebrity dressing, with stars including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jodie Foster, John Travolta, Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett wearing Armani on red carpets.

Armani's relationship with music included providing stage outfits for Eric Clapton, who composed music for Armani fashion shows. Armani also designed numerous outfits for Lady Gaga, including costumes for her Monster Ball Tour and Born This Way Ball Tour.

Armani expanded beyond the main label through Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, Armani Junior, Armani Exchange, accessories, eyewear, cosmetics, fragrances and home furnishings. A licensing agreement with L'Oréal supported the development of Armani Beauty. In 2005, he introduced his first haute couture line, Armani Privé.

His wider projects included a partnership with Samsung on a luxury television and mobile phone, and the Armani Hotel in Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which opened in 2010. He also designed interiors for Armani residences and products for the Armani/Casa home collection. In 2000-2001, the Guggenheim Museum in New York presented a major retrospective of his work.

Armani was involved in sport as the owner and president of Olimpia Milano basketball club. He designed uniforms for Italy's Olympic teams, suits for the England national football team and Chelsea, and later official and travel clothing for Scuderia Ferrari. He also promoted changes in fashion practice, including a 2007 ban on models with a body mass index below 18 and later sustainability initiatives.

Armani died at his home in Milan on 4 September 2025. He had missed Milan Fashion Week in June that year for the first time, but the Armani Group said that he had continued working on the company and its collections until his final days. A public wake was held at Armani/Teatro in Milan, followed by a private funeral and burial in the family chapel at Rivalta di Gazzola.

His legacy rested on making tailoring softer, more comfortable and more adaptable to changing social roles. His designs helped popularise women's power suits, modernised men's suiting and made Milan a leading international fashion centre. He received honours including the CFDA International Award, the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award for menswear, France's Officer of the Legion of Honour and Italy's Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit.