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Italian fashion legend Giorgio Armani, celebrated for redefining global style and giving Hollywood’s red carpets a new identity, has passed away at the age of 91. His company, the Armani Group, announced the news on Thursday, confirming that the designer died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.
“Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” the Armani Group said in a statement, describing him as “a tireless driving force.”
A separate message released on behalf of his family and employees added:
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In this company, we have always felt like part of a family. Today, with deep emotion, we feel the void left by the one who founded and nurtured this family with vision, passion, and dedication. But it is precisely in his spirit that we, the employees and the family members who have always worked alongside Mr Armani, commit to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility, and love.
Born in 1934 in Piacenza, northern Italy, Armani’s path to fashion was unconventional. After studying medicine and serving in the military, he began working as a window dresser at La Rinascente department store in Milan in 1957. By 1964, designer Nino Cerruti hired him to create menswear, where Armani honed his skill for unstructured jackets — a style that later became his signature.
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In 1975, alongside his partner Sergio Galeotti, Armani founded his namesake brand. Their first menswear line was an instant success in the United States, stocked by Barneys New York in 1976. Soon after came a womenswear line that embraced an androgynous aesthetic. Armani later reflected: “I was the first to soften the image of men, and harden the image of women.”
Armani’s big break came in 1980, when Richard Gere wore one of his suits in American Gigolo, cementing his reputation in Hollywood. From that moment, his designs became synonymous with elegance, adorning celebrities such as Sophia Loren, Tina Turner, Sean Connery, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
His understated sophistication clashed with Gianni Versace’s flamboyant designs, fuelling one of fashion’s fiercest rivalries of the 1980s.
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Following Galeotti’s death in 1985, Armani became the sole shareholder of his empire. Despite the dominance of global fashion conglomerates like LVMH and Kering, Armani remained one of the rare designers to retain full ownership of his brand, which analysts valued at €8–10 billion in 2024.
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Over the decades, Armani expanded his empire to include Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, Armani Exchange, Armani/Casa, and even luxury hotels in Dubai and Milan. He also became a prominent figure in sports, purchasing Italy’s top basketball team, Olimpia Milano, in 2008 and designing uniforms for Italy’s Olympic athletes at London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
His influence stretched beyond fashion runways. Armani’s designs became workplace staples, with his tailored pantsuits offering women a powerful alternative to traditional office wear.