Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who built a global empire on understated elegance and reshaped modern fashion with his soft tailoring, has died at 91.
On Friday, it was announced that Armani died at home, weeks before he was set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his namesake brand during Milan Fashion Week. He had missed the men’s shows in June to recover from an undisclosed condition.
Launched in 1975 with his partner Sergio Galeotti, Armani’s label put Italian ready-to-wear on the global stage. His unstructured jackets and muted tones became the uniform of executives and Hollywood stars alike.
Richard Gere’s wardrobe in the 1980 film American Gigolo solidified Armani’s impact, resulting in over 200 film credits and a devoted celebrity clientele that included George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, and Sophia Loren.
Over the decades, Armani expanded his empire beyond fashion into perfumes, furniture, hotels, restaurants, and even a basketball team, building a fortune estimated at more than $10 billion.
Born on July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy, Armani once aspired to be a doctor before discovering fashion. He did not leave any children but had prepared succession plans, entrusting creative direction to Leo Dell’Orco and his niece Silvana Armani.
