Giorgio Armani, fashion icon who redefined modern elegance, dies at 91

Armani passed away at home, ending a career that spanned five decades and helped shape contemporary style.

The designer, who missed Milan Fashion Week earlier this year due to ill health, had been planning a celebration of 50 years of his namesake label during this month’s shows.

Building an empire

Giorgio Armani storefront in Vienna, Austria. (Photo: wikipedia.org)

Armani revolutionised fashion in the late 1970s with a relaxed silhouette built on unlined jackets, simple trousers and a muted palette.

That signature look propelled Italian ready-to-wear onto the world stage and soon became a symbol of effortless chic.

Over time, he turned his label into a sprawling business worth more than $10 billion. The Armani brand today encompasses clothing, accessories, perfumes, home furnishings, cosmetics, books and even chocolates.

Armani with Olimpia Milano basketball players at Vogue Fashion's Night Out, September 2009. (Photo: wikipedia.org)

His ventures also included more than 20 restaurants across the world, two luxury hotels, and ownership of basketball team EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

Hollywood and red carpet allure

From the boardroom to Hollywood, Armani dressed some of the world’s biggest names. His breakthrough came in 1980 with American Gigolo, which turned both Richard Gere and “Geeorgeeo,” as Hollywood insiders dubbed him, into icons.

He went on to design wardrobes for over 200 films and in 2003 was honoured on Rodeo Drive’s “Walk of Fame.”

Oscar nights often shimmered with Armani creations: Anne Hathaway in a white strapless gown in 2009, Sean Penn collecting his Best Actor statuette in a black-on-black suit the same year, and George Clooney, Jodie Foster, Sophia Loren and Brad Pitt among his devoted clientele.

A life beyond fashion

Giorgio Armani, September 1997. (Photo: wikipedia.org)

Born in Piacenza in 1934, Armani once dreamed of becoming a doctor before discovering fashion while working as a window dresser in Milan.

In 1975, with partner Sergio Galeotti, he sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to launch a menswear label, adding womenswear a year later.

He expanded his empire steadily, opening flagship stores from Milan to New York and developing a design language marked by clean lines, bare walls, and carefully chosen statement pieces — a style he carried into his own homes in Italy, Sicily and the French Riviera.

Legacy of giving back

Armani channelled part of his success into philanthropy, supporting child welfare initiatives and the fight against AIDS. In 2002, the United Nations named him goodwill ambassador for refugees.

Reflecting on his philosophy, Armani once said: “I love things that age well, things that don’t date and become living examples of the absolute best.”

Today, his fashion house employs more than 9,000 people, runs seven industrial hubs and manages over 600 stores worldwide.

His death closes a chapter in modern fashion, but the empire he built and the aesthetic he championed remain enduring.