Giorgio Armani, the designer who revolutionized fashion with his sober, minimalist style, has died at the age of 91 on September 4, 2025. His passing followed the 50th-anniversary celebrations of his brand and his personal acquisition of the famed La Capannina restaurant in Versilia.
Armani’s philosophy was defined by a relentless pursuit of refinement. “Before presenting a collection, I never tire of eliminating; there is always something superfluous,” he once revealed backstage at an Armani Privé show in Paris. A minimalist before the term was coined, his work was deconstructed into fluidity and remained instantly recognizable.
His career began after military service, first as a shop assistant at La Rinascente department store. In 1965, he was hired by Nino Cerruti to redesign the Hitman line for the Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti. The Armani name first entered the fashion universe in 1974 with the ‘Armani by Sicons’ leather line. His first official collection debuted in 1975, the same year he founded his eponymous company with his life partner, Sergio Galeotti, who passed away a decade later.
Armani is credited with liberating menswear from its rigid constraints. Dubbed the “King of the Deconstructed Jacket” from 1980 onward, he famously designed the wardrobe for Richard Gere in the cult film *American Gigolo*. The sleek, unstructured suits, seen on the film’s protagonist, Julien Kaye, helped cement the actor’s status and revolutionized the era’s silhouette by removing padded shoulders, rigid linings, and internal structures, opting for a softer, more natural drape. Armani believed changes in menswear “should be few, entrusted to details, lapels, pockets, colours,” and his jackets remain a global emblem of Italian style, consistently seen on the world’s most elegant figures on red carpets.
In womenswear, Armani left a significant mark with his tailored suits, achieving success parallel to his menswear. He introduced soft, deconstructed jackets, fluid trousers with a vaguely oriental feel, and trousers worn under overskirts. His evening gowns were renowned for their refined elegance and delicate colour palette.
Armani’s aesthetic was also defined by a precise colour scheme, drawing inspiration from black-and-white cinema and 1920s-30s America. His clean cuts were complemented by a palette of cool tones: beige, grey, and his signature “greige,” a blend of grey and earthy sand. While blue became a trademark, he never abandoned classic black and white. Further inspiration came from Eastern and Arabic cultures, leading to designs featuring Korean-style collars and djellaba-like coats, notably launched in 1990 alongside the film *The Sheltering Sky*. His Armani Casa home collection also drew from Art Deco and Far Eastern influences.
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