The Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani passes to 91 | Fashion industry news

Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who converted the concept of discreet elegance into a multimillionaire fashion empire, has died at the age of 91.

Armani died in the city of northern Italy in Milan, said his company in a statement on Thursday.

“With infinite pain, the Armani group announces the death of its creator, founder and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” he said.

The fashion icon “worked until his last days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections and the many future future projects,” the statement added.

One of the most recognizable names and faces in the world fashion industry, Armani lost the fashion week of Milan in June 2025 for the first time during the previous views of the spring-summer-summoned clothing 2026 to recover from an unrelated condition.

He was planning an important event to celebrate 50 years from his fashion house in Giorgio Armani during Milan Fashion Week this month.

Starting with a jacket without a phrase, a simple pair of pants and an urban palette, Armani put an Italian style ready to use on the international fashion map at the end of the 1970s, creating a relaxed silhouette recognizable at the moment that the fashion house has driven for half a century.

From the Executive Office to the Hollywood screen, Armani wore the rich and famous styles in custom classics, designed with super soft fabrics and tones off. His handsome black tie outfits and bright night dresses often stole the show on the red carpets of the awards.

At the time of his death, Armani had gathered an empire that was worth more than $ 10 billion, which together with clothing included accessories, home furniture, perfumes, cosmetics, books, flowers and even chocolates, classifying it in the 200 main billionaires in the world, according to Forbes.

Lifetime of Legacy

Armani was born in 1934 in Piacenza, a city in the industrial heart of northern Italy, near Milan, one of the three children of Ugo Armani and Maria Raimondi.

His father worked at the headquarters of the local fascist party before becoming accountant of a transport company. His mother was a housewife.

In 1975, Armani and his partner Sergio Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $ 10,000 to start their own male clothing label ready to wear. Women’s clothes continued a year later.

Armani’s new style symbol was the sports jacket without lining, which was launched in the late 1970s and became an instant success of Hollywood to Wall Street. The designer combined the jacket with a simple shirt, a garment that described “the Alfa and the Omega of the fashion alphabet.”

Armani’s suit soon became a need in the closet of the wealthy man. And for women, the introduction of the pants suit in the executive work room was almost revolutionary.

Nicknamed the “power suit” with his jacket with shoulders and collaboration pants, the pants suit became the registered brand of the class on the rise of business women in the 1980s.

Over the years, Armani would soften the appearance with delicate details, luxurious fabrics and brighter tones for his beige and gray basic palette. His insistence on pants and jackets led some critics to label their “androgynous” fashion.

The designer also had several bars, clubs and restaurants and his own basketball team: EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, better known as Olimpia Milano.