Remembering Legendary Italian Fashion Designer Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani, an Italian fashion designer whose style was both elegant and modern, died at 91 on September 4th. His signature androgynous approach to fashion made his designs stand out amongst other luxury fashion brands. Here’s a look into the designer’s iconic life as we remember his many contributions to the fashion world.

Early life

Source: Squarespace/ Unsplash

Giorgio Armani was born in Piacenza, Italy on July 11th, 1934. Armani’s childhood was tainted by World War II, and his family often lived in hunger. His experience with this war led him to his first potential career path–medicine. 

Armani planned to become a doctor. He studied medicine at Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci in Milan before dropping out to join the military. His interest in fashion began when he was at a military hospital in Verona. There, he was given the opportunity to view fashion collections. It was around 1957 when he began to work for La Rinascente, a department store in Milan. Thus, his career in fashion began.

creation of the armani brand

Armani began his fashion career with little experience in fashion designing. It took lots of research for him to determine what clients were looking for. He officially began working on designing men’s clothing in the 1960s, when he worked with Italian tailor Nino Cerruti. By the 1970s, Armani had created his signature fashion piece–the Armani suit.

The Armani suit created a softer, elegant look. There were two different versions of the suit: the men’s and the women’s. The men’s suit was more feminine, whereas the women’s suit was more masculine. The result was an androgynous approach to business fashion. 

Armani’s Style

Source: Squarespace/ Unsplash

Armani’s style created an androgynous look by softening the image of men and hardening the image of women. He achieved this by using women’s fabrics to create men’s clothing, and by introducing the female pantsuit, which allowed women to feel more confident at work. Armani designed women’s clothing with the feminist movement in mind. The idea was for women to still look feminine, while also exuding a sense of masculine power. 

Armani didn’t stop there. He even invented his own color–greige, a combination of gray and beige. He designed uniforms for athletes, police officers, and cab drivers. In the 1980s, he gained an interest in Hollywood movies and costume design, and designed the costumes for the film “American Gigolo.” Armani was always evolving in fashion.

expansion of the brand

Armani was constantly expanding his brand. He created perfume and accessories in addition to new clothing items like jeans. In 1981, he created a second brand called “Emporio Armani,” which was intended for younger generations. The brand wasn’t just focused on fashion. Armani designed other items for it, such as cars, sunglasses, carpets, and more. 

In the 1990s, Armani focused on dressing celebrities for their red carpet appearances. He dressed celebrities such as Julia Roberts for the Golden Globes and Jodie Foster for the Academy Awards. Other celebrities to wear Armani’s brand include Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie, and Anne Hathaway.

armani’s success

Photo of Giorgio Armani. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Photo by Alessandra Brunhildmedia/ CC BY 4.0

What contributed to Armani’s success the most was that he never gave up his creative freedom and always remained in control of his brand and designs. Armani was fully involved in all aspects of his brand–concept creation, the production process, distribution of the products, as well as marketing and financing the items. Now, his brand has over 600 stores worldwide. According to Forbes, Armani would say, “. . .as someone who is forever dissatisfied and obsessive in his search for perfection, I never give up until I've achieved the results I want.”

giving back

Armani used his success as a fashion designer as an opportunity to give back to many communities. He participated in multiple philanthropic efforts, including donating revenue from his boutiques to organizations such as London’s The Trussell Trust and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. Additionally, Armani partnered with Food1st, which is an organization in New York City that supports local restaurants and feeds emergency service workers, as well as those in need. 

Armani also supported a project for Save the Children, which focused on neonatal health and motherhood in Mozambique. The program involved welfare programs and information on food safety. According to WWD, Armani stated, “I am convinced that it is the duty of us all as citizens to contribute to the needs of the community, depending on individual possibilities.”

armani’s death

Armani died on September 4th, 2025. According to Parade, the designer had been absent from various fashion events the past couple of months. Parade states that “. . .he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects.” At this time, Armani’s cause of death has not been revealed. But the Associated Press stated that for the first time in 50 years, the designer missed Milan Fashion Week due to his recovery from “an undisclosed condition.” 

Giorgio Armani will always be remembered as an iconic Italian fashion designer that changed gendered and business fashion. His more relaxed, androgynous approach to fashion will forever remain iconic.