Giorgio Armani, the Italian maestro who redefined fashion with his unstructured elegance, has passed away at 91, his house confirmed. He died peacefully at home after sitting out the June shows while recovering from illness. Few know that Armani’s path to style greatness began far from the runway — first in medicine, then in military service. From those unlikely beginnings, he went on to craft one of the world’s most enduring fashion empires, leaving behind a legacy intricately stitched with quiet power and timeless sophistication.
As reported by Yahoo! Life, Armani reflected on this unusual path in his autobiography Per Amore. Growing up in Piacenza, south of Milan, he was drawn to medicine after reading A.J. Cronin’s novels about country doctors. But after two years of study, Armani realised he lacked the focus for such a demanding field. In 1955, he was drafted into the military, serving two years on active duty. Even then, fashion was never far away—he recalled travelling with a “small wardrobe for all occasions” and a tennis racquet, which the officers requested him to send back home.
Armani's personal style
According to AP, Armani’s own personal style foreshadowed the empire he would later build—piercing blue eyes, sun-kissed skin, silver hair, jeans and t-shirts, and minimalist homes that reflected his love for simplicity. His first brush with fashion came through a part-time job as a window decorator in Milan, which sparked a lifelong passion. By 1975, Armani and Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to launch their menswear line. A year later, womenswear followed.
The breakthrough came in the late 1970s with the unlined sports jacket, which redefined men’s tailoring by balancing structure with comfort. Paired with a simple t-shirt, what Armani famously called “the alpha and omega of the fashion alphabet,” the look spread rapidly from Hollywood to Wall Street. By the 1980s, Armani was reshaping wear too. His “power suit,” with shoulder pads and sharp tailoring, became the uniform of a new generation of businesswomen, later softened with luxurious fabrics and subtle colours.
Who is Giorgio Armani's successor?
Italian designer Giorgio Armani, whose death was announced Thursday, leaves behind not just a $2.7 billion business, as per Reuters, but also questions about its future. Armani was the sole major shareholder of the company he co-founded with his late partner Sergio Galeotti in the 1970s. With no children of his own, speculation now turns to who will inherit the empire he fiercely guarded.
As reported by Yahoo! Life, Armani reflected on this unusual path in his autobiography Per Amore. Growing up in Piacenza, south of Milan, he was drawn to medicine after reading A.J. Cronin’s novels about country doctors. But after two years of study, Armani realised he lacked the focus for such a demanding field. In 1955, he was drafted into the military, serving two years on active duty. Even then, fashion was never far away—he recalled travelling with a “small wardrobe for all occasions” and a tennis racquet, which the officers requested him to send back home.
Armani's personal style
According to AP, Armani’s own personal style foreshadowed the empire he would later build—piercing blue eyes, sun-kissed skin, silver hair, jeans and t-shirts, and minimalist homes that reflected his love for simplicity. His first brush with fashion came through a part-time job as a window decorator in Milan, which sparked a lifelong passion. By 1975, Armani and Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to launch their menswear line. A year later, womenswear followed.
The breakthrough came in the late 1970s with the unlined sports jacket, which redefined men’s tailoring by balancing structure with comfort. Paired with a simple t-shirt, what Armani famously called “the alpha and omega of the fashion alphabet,” the look spread rapidly from Hollywood to Wall Street. By the 1980s, Armani was reshaping wear too. His “power suit,” with shoulder pads and sharp tailoring, became the uniform of a new generation of businesswomen, later softened with luxurious fabrics and subtle colours.
Who is Giorgio Armani's successor?
Italian designer Giorgio Armani, whose death was announced Thursday, leaves behind not just a $2.7 billion business, as per Reuters, but also questions about its future. Armani was the sole major shareholder of the company he co-founded with his late partner Sergio Galeotti in the 1970s. With no children of his own, speculation now turns to who will inherit the empire he fiercely guarded.
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