Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani passes away at 91

The celebrated manner decorator leaves an indelible people connected planetary benignant and elegance.

Giorgio Armani, the Italian decorator who turned the conception of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar manner empire, has died astatine the property of 91.

Armani passed distant successful the bluish Italian metropolis of Milan, his institution said successful a connection connected Thursday.

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“With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” it said.

The manner icon “worked until his last days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections and the galore ongoing aboriginal projects”, the connection added.

One of the astir recognisable names and faces successful the planetary manner industry, Armani 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 recognisable 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 $10bn, 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.

Lifetime of legacy

Armani was calved successful 1934 successful Piacenza, a municipality successful the concern heartland of bluish Italy, adjacent to Milan, 1 of 3 children of Ugo Armani and Maria Raimondi.

His begetter worked astatine the office of the section Fascist enactment earlier becoming an accountant for a transport company. His parent was a homemaker.

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 Armani’s 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, the pantsuit 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”.

The decorator besides owned respective bars, clubs, and restaurants and his ain hoops squad – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, amended known arsenic Olimpia Milano.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies