Modern fashion cannot be where it is without people like the legendary fashion guru; Giorgio Armani. Majority of the A-listers fashion brands take their cue from him as he has been breathing fashion since most of us were still in our father’s loins.

Born to a modest family, sir Giorgio took an interest in fashion after studying medicine and serving the military. He’s passion for fashion came about after he got a job as a window dresser in one of the prestigious stores in Milan; La Rinascente. This would be the catalyst that will ignite the flare and passion for fashion that we know today, a move that would begin his lifelong association with Italy’s fashion capital.

In 1964, designer Nino Cerruti took a chance on Armani, who was by then a buyer at La Rinascente, by giving him a job designing menswear. It was here that he first learned about unstructured jackets — suit jackets with the traditional lining and stiff padding removed to accentuate the wearer’s body which he would later perfect and become famous for.

While working for Cerruti, Armani met Sergio Galeotti, an architect who would become his life and business partner. Galeotti persuaded Armani to set up his own business, and the two later founded the brand Giorgio Armani in 1975.

Their first menswear collection found success in the US: It was stocked at Barney’s New York in 1976, and the department store even produced a TV commercial introducing Armani to American shoppers (Barneys shut down in February 2020 after filing for bankruptcy). It was soon followed by a womenswear collection, which saw the brand debuting an androgynous look. (“I was the first to soften the image of men, and harden the image of women,” Armani later said.)

His jackets earned the attention of Hollywood. In 1980, Richard Gere famously wore an Armani suit in “American Gigolo,” turning it into a status symbol. Soon, dressing stars for the red carpet became another form of advertising for the brand. Many of the biggest celebrities of the day — Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sophia Loren, Jodie Foster, Sean Connery and Tina Turner, among others — were all pictured wearing its creations. This led to a fierce competition with the other big name of 1980s Italian fashion, Gianni Versace, whose dazzling style stood in stark contrast to Armani’s typically understated looks.

By 1985, he was the head of the entire Armani empire as the largest shareholder as a young man in a world of giants. Over the years, he created several brands under the Armani empire like; Emporio Armani, as well as other successful spin-offs such as Armani Jeans, Armani Exchange and the home interiors brand Armani/Casa.

In 2011, he opened a huge Armani complex occupying an entire block in downtown Milan. As well as offering products from various Armani ranges, including chocolates, flowers, jewelry and cosmetics, it also serves as a nightclub and luxury hotel. (This followed the opening of the Armani Hotel Dubai a year earlier in the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.)

Armani’s influence in fashion also extends to the present day: the timelessness and precision of his tailoring has led to a burgeoning secondhand market for vintage Armani designs. His pantsuits, which offered women a powerful and sophisticated alternative in the workplace and beyond, continue to be favored by stars, including Cate Blanchett who opted for a silk, two-piece suit by the label as she attended Wimbledon in 2025.

Armani’s many accolades include being named a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2021, one of the country’s highest honors, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, in 2002.

“Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” the Armani Group said in a statement, describing the founder as “a tireless driving force.”

“In this company, we have always felt like part of a family,” read a statement provided by the brand on behalf of his family and employees. “Today, with deep emotion, we feel the void left by the one who founded and nurtured this family with vision, passion, and dedication. But it is precisely in his spirit that we, the employees and the family members who have always worked alongside Mr. Armani, committed to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility, and love.”

In June 2025, Armani was not present to take his usual bow at the brand’s show during Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week, marking the first time in his career he had missed his own runway event. At the time, the company released a statement that he was “currently recovering at home” without specifying his health condition.

Signor Armani will definitely be missed in the world of fashion as he is an enigma of which cannot be replicated.