Giorgio Armani dies aged 91

Giorgio Armani welcomes applause after a catwalk of the Emporio Armani women’s winter collection in Milan 2019

Known as “King Giorgio” to Italians for the huge fashion empire he built and his sweeping influence, he was synonymous with modern Italian style and elegance.

He died at home, the fashion house said on Thursday, and his body will lay in state in Milan this weekend so that mourners can pay their respects.

“Mr Armani passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” his company said. “Tireless, he worked until his final days, devoted to the company, its collections and to ever new projects.”

His funeral will be private, in accordance with his wishes.

Italy’s foreign minister said Armani had been one of the leading ambassadors for Italian-made products - Mondadori Portfolio/Adriano Alecchi

As tributes poured in, Italy’s foreign minister said Armani had been one of the leading ambassadors for Italian-made products.

Antonio Tajani described the designer as “a timeless talent... a fashion visionary, a refined interpreter of the elegance and beauty of our country”, and said his life had been “an extraordinary success story”.

Armani became known for relaxed yet luxurious ready-to-wear clothing. During his heyday, he dressed celebrities including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Lady Gaga.

Giorgio Armani walks the runway during the Giorgio Armani One Night Only Dubai fashion show in 2021 - Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images

Giorgio Armani and Julia Roberts arrive at The Fashion Awards 2019, held at Royal Albert Hall in London - KGC Photo Agency LLP

But one of the issues to dog his later years was his apparent lack of a succession plan. 

He largely demurred from answering questions about who would take the helm of his empire after his death, but the issue came to the fore in 2021 after a bad fall that fractured his left humerus, requiring 17 stitches and hospitalisation.

“I am preparing my future with the people around me,” he said, in reference to long-time collaborators in the company.

He envisaged a gradual transition to close confidantes, including Leo Dell’Orco, head of men’s design for the Armani group, adding: “I would like the succession to be organic, and not a moment of rupture.”

Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani and the English model Naomi Campbell attend a party in 1996 - Rose Hartman/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Armani combined the flair of the designer with the acumen of a businessman, running a company that turned over around 2.3 billion euros (£1.9bn) a year.

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. But he decided to break off his medical studies and to pursue a career in fashion instead.

He started off working as a buyer in a department store in Milan, before branching out into fashion design. After years of training, he launched his own label of ready-to-wear clothes for men and women in 1975.

“I was the first to soften the image of men, and harden the image of women. I dressed men in women’s fabrics, and stole from men what women wanted and needed – the power suit,” he once said.

Armani started off working as a buyer in a department store in Milan, before branching out into fashion design - David Lees/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

His fame and reputation grew, bolstered by the 1980 film American Gigolo, in which Richard Gere’s character owned a cupboard full of Armani outfits.

All the time, his empire expanded – he branched out into accessories, jeans and perfume, as well as launching lower-priced lines such as Armani Exchange and Emporio Armani.

His work was feted by the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and he was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR.

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In his last interview, with The Financial Times in August, he said: “My greatest weakness is that I am in control of everything.”

But he had to relinquish some of that control during the summer – he missed three fashion shows in June and July because of ill health. Right up until the end, he was heavily involved in the company and a stickler for detail.

“I don’t know if I’d use the word workaholic, but hard work is certainly essential to success,” he told the FT. “My only regret in life was spending too many hours working and not enough time with friends and family.”

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