As the funeral for founder Giorgio Armani began in Rivalta on Monday, the fashion empire he built came to a simultaneous, respectful standstill. At precisely 3:00 PM, all Giorgio Armani shops and offices in Milan and worldwide halted operations in a mark of mourning.
The company’s thousands of employees worked as usual but only until the appointed hour. Activities were suspended to coincide with the private funeral ceremony held in the province of Piacenza, where Armani was evacuated as a child during the war. Shutters were lowered on stores, website traffic was blocked, and office computers were switched off in tribute to the great designer, who passed away on September 4th at the age of 91.
Over the weekend, 16,000 people paid their respects at the lying-in-state held at his theatre on Via Bergognone in Milan. In contrast, Monday’s funeral at the church of San Martino in the tightly secured hamlet of Rivalta was attended only by family and his closest collaborators.
The city of Milan observed an official day of mourning. The city council also honored the designer, opening its session with a minute of silence. Council president Elena Buscemi stated that in Milan, “his adopted city, he gave a great deal and from the city he received love and gratitude,” promising Milan “will know how to remember him in the best possible ways.” While Mayor Beppe Sala immediately offered entombment in the city’s Famedio mausoleum, Armani chose to be laid to rest in the family chapel alongside his father Ugo, brother Sergio, and mother Maria Raimondo.
Following the service, the opening of the will is anticipated once the summarized death certificate is issued by the city. Those called before the notary are expected to be his nieces Silvana and Roberta (daughters of his predeceased brother Sergio), his nephew Andrea Camerana (son of his sister Rosanna), and Leo Dell’Orco, Armani’s life and work partner.
Despite the period of mourning, company operations will continue as the designer would have wished. A show at the Brera Academy and a runway show on September 28th during Milan Fashion Week—both personally commissioned by “King Giorgio”—will proceed to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. Everything, as was Armani’s way, has already been meticulously planned down to the smallest detail.