Giorgio Armani

Summary

Giorgio Armani, born on the 11th of July 1934, is an Italian fashion designer. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer of Italian origin, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a personal fortune of $8.1 billion as of 2017. He is credited with pioneering red-carpet fashion.

Biography

Early Years

Of Italian-Armenian origins, he is one of the most important examples of international fashion designers. Raised in Piacenza, in 1949 he moved with his family to Milan. In this city, in 1953 he graduated from the Leonardo da Vinci High School and enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine of the State University, but after three years he interrupted his studies in order to go to the army. When registering for compulsory conscription, due to an error by an officer of the barracks, he was wrongly attributed the name Lampino. It seems that the official confused his name with that of Giorgio Armani’s pet. At the end of the military service, he found work as a window dresser and a salesman for la Rinascente until 1965, the year in which he was hired by Nino Cerruti to redesign the fashion of the Hitman brand.

Armani Collezioni

In 1974, the Armani by Sicons line was created. His first collection dates back to 1975, the year in which he founded the company of the same name, along with life partner Sergio Galeotti (who died prematurely only 10 years later). In July 2000, Armani and the Zegna Group signed an agreement to produce and distribute the Armani Collezioni lines in a joint venture. Similarly, in 2002 Armani signed an agreement with the Safilo company for the production of an exclusive line of glasses, called Emporio Armani sunglasses. In addition to the perfume line (including, for example, Acqua di Giò or Black Code) of enormous commercial success, Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans are among his most famous brands.

In the second half of 2006, Emporio Armani launched Remix, the new men’s / women’s perfume inspired by Madonna’s latest album and the world of disco. In 2006 the first biography dedicated to the designer was released, Being Armani, written by Renata Molho, published in Italy by Baldini Castoldi Dalai and translated into ten languages.

There are currently 57 Giorgio Armani boutiques, 12 Armani Collezioni, 115 Emporio Armani, 66 A / X Armani Exchange, 10 Armani Jeans, 5 Armani Junior, 1 Giorgio Armani Accessories and 12 Armani Casa in 35 countries. In 2009, he became an “ambassador” of the Internet for Peace movement founded by the monthly magazine Wired Italia with the aim of nominating the Internet for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. In June 2013, he opened the new boutique in Via Condotti in Rome with an inaugural party at which there were, among others, Milla Jovovich, Tina Turner, Clive Owen, Paolo Sorrentino, Giuseppe Tornatore, Laura Biagiotti, Margherita Buy, Ornella Muti, Raul Bova, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Valeria Golino, Fiorello, Sophia Loren and Emma Bonino.

Style

Armani’s production is always remembered for great class and superb elegance of its clothing and accessories. It includes clothes of every category: from classic to innovative.

Inspired by black and white cinema, and the atmospheres of America in the twenties and thirties, his style is characterized by sharp and clean cuts and cool color tones: beige, gray and greige, a new shade in between of gray and earthy sand, although it is above all the blue-Armani that distinguishes its creations.

Another source of great inspiration for Armani is oriental and Arab culture. In fact, some Korean-style collars were introduced in some of his garments, and coats similar to djellaba, put on the market in 1990, simultaneously with the release of Il tè nel deserto in theatres.

Armani in the cinema

In 1980 Armani designed the costumes for Richard Gere for the film American Gigolò. In 2008, he made the clothes worn by the actor Christian Bale (in the role of Bruce Wayne) for the film The Dark Knight, and then in 2012 in The Dark Knight – Return. Among the other films for which he worked are Phenomena (1985), Gli intoccabili (1987), Cadillac Man (1990). In 2013, he styled Michael Fassbender and Penélope Cruz in the film The Counselor – The Prosecutor and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.  In 1999, he produced the famous Martin Scorsese documentary on Italian cinema My journey in Italy.

Armani in music

Over the years he has released several albums of electronic and experimental music entitled Emporio Armani Caffè, subdivided into different volumes and created by the Dj-sound designer Matteo Ceccarini. He also designs clothes for the singer Alexia.

Awards

1987 – CFDA International Award

1991 – Presented honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art

1992 – Fiornio d’Oro

2003 – Inducted to the Walk of Style

2006 – Gentlemen’s Quarterly Man Of The Year

2008 – Promoted Officer of the Legion of Honour

2009 – Bambi for Creativity

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Armani
• https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/giorgio-armani
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giorgio-Armani
• https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/giorgio-armani-3346.php