Famous Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani dies
Kyiv • UNN
Famous Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91. This was reported by La Repubblica.
Today, Giorgio Armani, the founder of the global fashion empire, passed away at the age of 91. Until his last days, he remained true to his work – even during his recovery from the hospital, he monitored shows via FaceTime and gave instructions to colleagues, writes UNN with reference to La Repubblica.
Giorgio Armani died today, September 4, at the age of 91. He was recovering at home after a hospital stay, which he kept secret until the very end.
It is noted that he died as he always wanted - working. Despite not being able to attend men's fashion shows, he monitored rehearsals until the very end via FaceTime, checking outfits and scolding his colleagues for not seating guests on time, thereby delaying the start of the show.
Giorgio Armani always expressed his opinion. For him, the people who wear his clothes came first, and then fashion and trends. In 2020, he lashed out at designers who, by forcing women to dress according to trends without considering what suits them, "rape" their clients. When he said this, all hell broke loose. But then everyone had to admit he was right.
Biography of the artist
Armani was born in Piacenza on July 11, 1934. He moved to Milan with his parents in 1949, and in 1953 he entered medical school, but three years later he was drafted into the army. Returning home, he decided not to return to his studies and eventually found a job at Rinascente, Milan's main department store.
He worked as a window dresser and sales consultant, and there he learned firsthand how fashion is created. He was so skilled at it that in 1965 Nino Cerruti hired him, entrusting him, without any technical experience, with his collection. His friend, partner, and financial partner Sergio Galeotti convinced him to open a consulting firm: consulting was well paid.
The first line to mention Armani's name was a line created for Sicons, a leather goods company. On July 24, 1975, the brand was born with its headquarters on Corso Venezia. Two rooms, four tables. A few weeks later, it debuted on the catwalk with the spring/summer 1976 collection at the Plaza Hotel in Milan. A triumph for the brand and for the city, which became the center of Italian fashion.
Legend has it that shortly before the show, he decided to include a few polka dot items. It was too late to make them, so, marker in hand, he drew them himself on the fabric.
"Intuition is everything. It is the ability to grasp a feeling, an impression among the thousands that overwhelm our daily lives, establishing a different cause-and-effect relationship. There is no path that cannot be changed, because fashion is about current events and communication. But not to follow the whims of the moment, but to better express one's concepts," he said years later, recalling those moments.
In 1980, he introduced the symbol of his revolution - the deconstructed jacket. He took the classic strict design and emptied it, making it soft, fitted, and comfortable, without sacrificing the silhouette. It was exactly what women needed, only they didn't know it yet. It was such a global success that in 1982 Time magazine dedicated a cover to him. Before him, only Christian Dior had done this.
Years later, he admitted that cover was too premature.
"At the time, I was shocked; it seemed impossible, an exaggeration, even a little awkward: I still had too much to say, honestly, I would have deserved it a few years later," Armani said.
In 1981, Emporio Armani, designed for young people, joined the main line: jeans, sweaters, and accessories with the eagle logo became a status symbol for a new generation, and the store on Via Durini became a true pilgrimage site for enthusiasts.
In 1991, he also designed the Alitalia uniform, making the national airline one of the most elegant in the world. In 2005, he debuted with haute couture in Paris.
Other Armani projects
Together with his sister Rosanna, he invented EA Magazine, the first branded magazine with editorial content. He was the first luxury brand to use billboards in cities. When he did, people called him crazy, because at that time, home appliance brands and (sometimes) movie brands invested in billboards.
There is also a home goods line, which in 2010 transformed into a network of luxury Armani Hotels – five-star establishments offering understated luxury. In 2015, he opened Silos – a space dedicated to exhibitions of photography, fashion, and design.
It is also worth mentioning his relationship with cinema. In 1992, he dressed Jodie Foster for the Academy Awards, which the actress received for her role in the film "The Silence of the Lambs."
In February 2022, a few days after the start of the war in Ukraine, he marched without music as a sign of respect for the victims of the conflict and was moved to tears in front of journalists.