The Italian designer and businessman has died at the age of 91, just weeks before a planned celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary. "He passed peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. Tireless, he worked until his final days, devoted to the company, its collections, and to every new project,” the company said in a statement. The funeral will be private, respecting Armani’s wishes, but the casket will be open for viewing on September 6 and 7 at the company’s Milan headquarters on Via Bergognone.

Known to the Italian people as "King George" for his multibillion-dollar empire of luxury, he represented modern Italian style, combining the flair of the designer with the acumen of an entrepreneur. Giorgio Armani is recognized as a fashion visionary, a refined interpreter of Italy's elegance and beauty. He became famous for relaxed yet luxurious ready-to-wear clothing and soft tailoring. With €2.3 billion in revenues and operating profits of €398 million in 2024, the Armani Group remains among the most profitable privately held fashion companies in history. He appeared at the highest-ranking designer to appear on the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires in 2024.

He was born in Piacenza in the northern region of Emilia Romagna in 1934. His father was a shipping manager, and the young Giorgio originally wanted to become a doctor. In fact, in the early 1950s, the family moved to Milan, where Giorgio studied medicine. But he decided to interrupt his medical studies and pursue a career in fashion. He found a job in 1954 working on the window displays of Milan department store La Rinascente, devoting himself to design. In the mid-1960s, he was recruited by Nino Cerruti to work as a stylist for a new line. After years of training, he launched his own ready-to-wear brand for men and women in 1975. Seven years later, in 1982, he was the protagonist of the cover of Time magazine titled “Giorgio’s Gorgeous Style.” He became “The King.” His unstructured suits, inspired by the fashions of the ‘30s and ‘40s, became famous throughout the world. Armani dressed numerous celebrities; his celestial costumes designed for Lady Gaga are memorable (displayed in a successful retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in 2000, and in exhibitions at Armani’s theatre on Via Borgonuovo in Milan, and a Silos museum that he opened in 2015 for the company’s 40th anniversary).

Giorgio Armani was both the creative director and ceo of the company he founded; he never gave up a fashion show. His motto was “Elegance is not about being noticed. It’s about being remembered.”

Photo: Giorgio Armani Privé Fall/Winter 2022