Italian Fashion Designer Giorgio Armani Dead At 91

He was a decorated fashion designer, recognized for his work by both government and industry, whose citations included Italy's highest governmental award, the Gran Cavaliere della Repubblica, Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica, as well as the Award for Best International Designer and Lifetime Achievement Award for menswear, both from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. 

His business acumen allowed him to keep control over the Armani Group, which until the time of his death, generated more than $4.7 billion in global sales. He even found time to be a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Fashion icon Giorgio Armani has sadly passed away at the age of 91, as his namesake company confirmed in a statement, sharing, "With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani," (via Reuters). 

The cause of death has not been made public at the time of writing, though Armani was known to have been ill for a while, even pulling out of public appearances for the first time in his celebrated career, towards the end of his life. According to a statement given to Sky News, the designer "passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones," at his home. Italian President Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Armani on X, formerly known as Twitter, describing him as "an icon" and "a symbol of the best of Italy." 

Giorgio Armani was born on July 11, 1934 and grew up with his siblings — brother Sergio and sister Rosanna — in the northern Italian town of Piacenza located just outside of Milan. Life was not easy for the Armanis. After all, this was wartime Europe, and Giorgio's father, who worked in a transport company, had been arrested several times on suspicion of being a fascist, while his mother, a housewife, kept things going as best she could, even though, as Giorgio acknowledged to Harper's Bazaar, in 2015, "There was no money and nothing to eat."

But as a child, he could dream. And his visions were filled with images from movies that he had seen. "Like all children, I had countless dreams. Mine in particular were inspired by Hollywood and the movies that I saw at the cinema with my family. I allowed myself to fantasize in those almost sacred moments, and those images opened my mind, giving me the ideas and inspirations that are still a part of me today," the fashion icon told Grazia magazine. 

Things changed for Giorgio Armani when, at the age of 9, he and his sister went to see friends who had discovered unexploded ordnance, which caught fire, covering the young Giorgio in flames. "I was not so conscious at the time. I closed my eyes and didn't open them again for 20 days. I could smell the linden trees in the hospital gardens in bloom, but I couldn't see them. It was hard for me because they weren't sure if I would ever be able to see again," he explained to Harper's Bazaar. When he recovered, his dreams of Hollywood were replaced with those of becoming a doctor. Incredibly, the experience left him with no visible scars, other than a mark on his foot.

Giorgio went so far as to study medicine for three years before going into the military. He said he decided not to go back to school because he felt it was time to get to work and earn a living. It was during this time that his family moved to Milan, and he found work at the Rinascente department store, where he began as a window-dresser, and then was named a buyer in the menswear department, per Grazia magazine.

Giorgio Armani's entry into fashion design came via clothing giant Nino Cerruti, where he worked until he was ready to launch his own brand — which the ambitious young man notably did with the full encouragement and support of his partner, Sergio Galeotti. Together, they founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in 1975, where they launched a ready-to-wear line for men and women. The money came from the sale of their Volkswagen.

Armani's first Hollywood job came by way of the 1980 movie "American Gigolo," starring Richard Gere. As he recalled to Grazia magazine, "That film marked a crucial milestone in my work, and I have since re-watched 'American Gigolo' several times over the years [...] I remember my enthusiasm at the idea of that collaboration, the very first. No one could predict that it would be so successful, and would mark so strongly the beginning of an era." 

But while the company's popularity skyrocketed, it seemed tragedy wasn't far behind for Armani and Galeotti, who became a victim of the AIDS epidemic, and died in 1985 when he was just 40 years old. "When Sergio died, I expressed great strength, because I wanted this work of ours to continue to appear in the future. I wanted people to appreciate what Sergio had done. But neither Sergio nor I were prepared for this, for the violence that life sometimes brings," the fashion designer confessed to Harper's Bazaar.

Giorgio Armani's work with Hollywood and its superstars went beyond designing costumes for movies including "The Untouchables" in 1987; "Goodfellas" in 1990; "Inglourious Basterds" in 2009; and "The Social Network" in 2010 – he also began dressing the entertainment industry's finest off set as well. While one of his best-known, early red carpet looks was for Jodie Foster ("Silence of the Lambs"), his first Oscars outfit was actually worn by Diane Keaton, who won the Best Actress award in 1978. Armani was such a favorite with the stars that at the 1990 Oscars, his styles dominated the red carpet, and the evening ended up being known as "The Armani Awards."

To the end, Armani credited film for his success. "I've often wondered what my life would have been without film. Surely I would not have become the man and designer that I am today. For me, films were not only a youthful passion that continued into adulthood, but also a constant source of ideas and inspiration, a mine of images upon which to draw on and build my world. Films are a repertoire of visions that have indelibly forged my style, as well as the way I understand both elegance and communication. In fact, it's through films that I first really reached the public," he pointed out to Grazia magazine. The fashion giant will be missed, but Armani's influence will continue to be felt.