A look at Giorgio Armani’s life, legacy and how he revolutionised everything from the runway to the way we live. David Ho reports
Giorgi Armani’s passing at the age of 91 proved to be a reminder of how much of a titan he was in the fashion world and beyond. Not only is his eponymous company a leading force in the luxury industry, Armani’s eye for aesthetics and design sense transformed the world as we see it.
Despite enrolling as a medical student and serving in the Italian army in that capacity, Armani started his journey in fashion by working in retail at La Rinascente department store in Milan. His time there being a window dresser and selling Finnish garments plus home furnishing proved to be vital to his future undertakings as learned the fundamentals of fashion marketing. After that, he moved on to design menswear for the Nino Cerruti company fulltime and many others on a freelance basis.
In the late 60s, Armani was captured by the dazzling “Tuscan smile” of Italian architect Sergio Galeotti at a night club. The two would become life partners and also professional ones, as they founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in 1975. The duo would also set up the Giorgio Armani Corporation in 1979 to produce fashion for the U.S. market.
What followed was a revolution in fashion. Armani’s minimalist designs minimalist with deconstructed silhouettes changed the landscape for both menswear and womenswear. His soft jackets and unstructured suits in particular, made an impact by making suits comfortable for men and empowered women.
He had a long lasting love and working relationship with film. His costume work for the 1980 film American Gigolo ensured that the Armani brand was seared into the minds of the masses, especially in the scenes where the protagonist Julian Kay (played by Richard Gere) shows off his entirely Armani wardrobe. It made for a strong start for Armani’s introduction to the masses and he would continue to design wardrobes for over a hundred films in his lifetime.
An extension of that was how Armani popularised red carpet fashion. By dressing stars to be as glamorous on the red carpet as they were on celluloid, he made celebrities bigger than life in person and in the tabloids. In 1978, Diane Keaton was the first actor ever to wear Armani on the red carpet as she won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 50th Academy Awards. Julia Roberts also made waves when she turned up in a suit for the Golden Globes in an off-the-rack men’s Armani suit.
The music world was not excluded from Armani’s personal touch. Lady Gaga wore custom Armani on her tours, including The Monster Ball Tour in 2010 and The Born This Way Ball in 2012, which are arguably the eras where she was most known for her outfits.
There are plenty of pop culture moments that would not exist without his influence. When Madonna famously fell while performing at the 2015 Brit Awards, it was because her Armani cape would not come off. In the press, Armani countered that “the cape had a hook and she wanted a tie, and she wasn’t able to open it with her hands. That’s all there is to it. Madonna, as we all know, is very difficult.” But the usually mouthy and fiery pop star showed she had nothing but love and admiration for the designer, telling the media that “$hit happens. Madonna loves Giorgio Armani.”
It was also through his business dealings that Armani showcased savvy and creativity. His manufacturing deals made it possible to produce luxury ready-to-wear, while his early deals with L’Oréal ensured that a perfumes and cosmetics component followed the expansion of his empire. In 2000, Armani was already miles ahead in the wellness game before it became a buzzword with cosmetics and home furnishings through his brand.
Of course, every human has their flaws. Armani’s comments in 2015 about how gay men should conform to masculine ideals in fashion drew ire then and have not aged well. It is ironic given his work in breaking gender norms for womenswear and that his own queer love affairs – with business partner Sergio Galeotti in the 70s and 80s and Leo Dell’Orco in more recent times – were pivotal in making his empire the billion dollar business it is today. It’s a reminder that even the most forward thinking icons can be contradictory and bound to certain mindsets of their time.
But there is no denying that Armani had broken down lots of barriers in his lifetime, from changing the tides of fashion to even standing up against the frantic overproduction of fashion in today’s ecosystem. He has also been involved in various humanitarian efforts, from supporting AIDS charities to helping Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.
“Elegance is not about being noticed, it is about being remembered,” Armani once famously said. Given how much widely remembered he will be, it’s possible that Giorgio Armani may be one of the most elegant men of our time.
