Legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has passed away at the age of 91, the company announced. “With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” a statement posted to its Instagram account read.

“Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. Indefatigable to the end, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects,” the statement continued.

The statement, which was shared in English and Italian, further read, “In this company, we have always felt like part of a family. Today, 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, commit to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility, and love.” A second statement on the Giorgio Armani Instagram account announced that the funeral would be held privately.

Armani was synonymous with modern Italian style and elegance. Since launching his namesake label in 1975, Armani oversaw the growth of the brand from a menswear line to a luxury fashion empire. He combined the flair of the designer with the acumen of a businessman, running a company that turned over some 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) a year.

He had been unwell for some time, and was forced to drop out of his group’s shows at Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week in June, the first time in his career that he had missed one of his catwalk events. Armani, who defined understated luxury and helped turn "Made in Italy" into a global brand of sophistication, was remembered by colleagues, politicians, and admirers as an icon whose influence stretched far beyond the catwalk.

Fashion designer Donatella Versace led tributes, saying, "The world has lost a giant today. He made history and will be remembered forever." Remo Ruffini, chief executive of Moncler, echoed Armani's own words in his homage: "'Elegance is not about being noticed, it's about being remembered.' Thank you Giorgio."

Italian leaders also hailed Armani's contribution to national culture. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called him "an icon, a tireless worker, a symbol of the best of Italy. With his elegance, sobriety and creativity, he was able to bring lustre to Italian fashion and inspire the entire world. Thank you for everything." Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described Armani as "a timeless talent and Made in Italy ambassador in the world. A visionary of fashion, a refined interpreter of the elegance and beauty of our country. His is an extraordinary success story."

Armani was synonymous with modern Italian style and elegance and known worldwide as "King Giorgio". He built an empire that blended timeless tailoring with global influence, cementing his place as one of the most celebrated designers of the modern era.

Italy’s King of Fashion Forever Changed The Way We Look At Jackets
It all began with the jacket. Giorgio Armani twisted and bruised the angular piece of clothing – tearing out the padding, adjusting the proportions, moving the buttons – until he was left with something supple as a cardigan, light as a shirt. “Removing all rigidity from the garment and discovering an unexpected naturalness,” as he put it years later. “It was the starting point for everything that came after.”

His 1970s reimagining of the jacket – a study in nonchalance – was to be his statement of purpose as a fashion designer. Elegance, he argued, meant simplicity. That principle, applied to great acclaim over a five-decade-long career, would produce bestselling minimalist suits and turn his eponymous brand into a vast conglomerate producing haute couture, prêt-à-porter, perfumes and home interiors.

Known to industry admirers as ‘Re Giorgio’ (King Giorgio), Armani became synonymous with Italian style, helping to dress a generation of successful women, as well as men who wanted less stuffy attire. He combined the flair of the designer with the forensic attention to detail of the executive, running a business that generated billions of dollars in revenue each year and helping to make contemporary Italian fashion into a global phenomenon.

Despite being one of the world’s top designers, he carefully guarded his own privacy and kept a tight grip on the company he created, maintaining its independence and working with a small and trusted group of family members and long-term associates.

Armani, a handsome man with piercing blue eyes and silver hair, often said that the point of fashion was to make people feel good about themselves – he railed against the rigid, fussy lines that traditionally defined high tailoring. “That’s a weakness of mine that affects both, my life and my work,” he told Made in Milan, Martin Scorsese’s documentary about him, in 1990. “I’m always thinking about adding something or taking something away. Mostly taking something away.”

“I can’t stand exhibitionism,” shared Armani, who received France’s Legion d’Honneur medal from President Nicolas Sarkozy during a ceremony in Paris, July 3, 2008.

Turning Milan into The Fashion Capital
Giorgio Armani was born in 1934 in Piacenza, a town in the industrial heartland of northern Italy, close to Milan, one of three children of Ugo Armani and Maria Raimondi. His father worked at the headquarters of the local Fascist party before becoming an accountant for a transport company. His mother was a homemaker.

Despite their limited means, his parents possessed an inner elegance, Armani told Made in Milan, and Maria’s sense of style shone through in the clothes she made for her three children. “We were the envy of all our classmates,” he said. “We looked rich even though we were poor.”

As a boy, he experienced the hardships of World War II. In his autobiography, Per Amore (For Love), he tells of how he dived into a ditch and covered his younger sister Rosanna with his jacket when a plane began firing overhead.

The family moved to Milan after the war. The city seemed very cold and big to him at first, though he soon came to appreciate its discreet beauty, he told Scorsese. In Milan, he developed a love for cinema that later influenced his career. Eventually, he would lead his fashion group from there, helping to turn the unglamorous, industrial city into Italy’s fashion capital.

Armani studied to become a doctor, but dropped out after two years at university and did his military service. He took his first steps in fashion – which he never formally studied – when he was offered a job at renowned department store La Rinascente to help dress the windows.

His first big break came with an invitation to work for Italian designer Nino Cerruti in the mid-1960s. There, he began to experiment with deconstructing the jacket. “I started this trade almost by chance, and slowly it drew me in, completely stealing my life,” he told trade publication Business of Fashion in 2015.

Giorgio’s Gorgeous Style
As a designer, he quickly tapped into two important trends in Western society in the late 20th century – a more prominent role for women and a more fluid approach to masculinity. “I had the feeling of what actually happened - women getting to the forefront in the workplace, men accepting their soft side – early in my career, and that was the base of my success,” Armani said in an interview with Esquire magazine to mark his 90th birthday, in 2024.

Armani debuted his first menswear collection in 1975 and was soon popular in Europe. Five years later, he won the hearts of the US glittering class when he dressed Richard Gere for the 1980 film American Gigolo, beginning a long association with Hollywood.

That same year, luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman became the first US retailer to launch an in-store Armani women’s boutique, securing the designer’s transatlantic reach. In 1982, Time magazine featured him on its cover under the headline “Giorgio’s Gorgeous Style”.

A self-confessed perfectionist, the designer oversaw every detail, from advertising to models’ hair. He often said he couldn’t wait for weekends to end so that he could get back to work.

He told Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper in October 2024 that he planned to retire within the next two or three years, having just turned 90. Hospital treatment for an undisclosed condition forced him to miss fashion shows for the first time in his career in June and early July of this year.

Armani, the company, was one of the first Italian fashion brands to expand into new markets, building a strong presence in Asia, and branching out with new fashion lines, such as the less expensive Emporio, to capitalise on an already famous name. Other fashion houses such as Prada and Dolce&Gabbana would eventually follow a similar strategy.

Armani also diversified, moving away from thousand-dollar gowns to new products, spanning hotels to chocolates, as well as interior design pieces. His work having made him fabulously wealthy, he indulged in luxury real estate. He had homes in Milan, as well as in nearby Broni in northern Italy, the southern island of Pantelleria, where he liked to spend August, and Forte dei Marmi. He also had properties in New York, Paris, on the island of Antigua, as well as in St. Moritz and Saint-Tropez. A sports fan, he owned the Olimpia Milano basketball team.

Fashion Forward: What becomes of Armani fashion empire now?
The self-made fashion mogul leaves behind a legacy of innovative style and dedication to his craft. Giorgio Armani established one of the world's best-known fashion brands over the past five decades, and his death inevitably raises questions about the future of an Italian company whose independence he cherished.

Armani was the sole major shareholder of the company he set up with his late partner Sergio Galeotti in the 1970s. He maintained a tight rein over both, the creative and managerial aspects until the very end.

"He worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects," the Armani company said. Then designer has left behind no children to inherit the business, which generated relatively stable revenue of €2.3 billion in 2024, but whose profits had shrunk amid a broad industry recession. Despite the slowdown, the company remains extremely attractive, say industry experts like Mario Ortelli, managing partner of luxury advisor firm Ortelli&Co.

"Could Giorgio Armani be an interesting target? The answer is absolutely yes — it's one of the most recognised brands in the world, with a stylistic vision that is clearly and uniquely defined," Ortelli said, adding however that a deal in the mid-term would be unlikely.

Over the years, the maker of unstructured suits received several approaches, including one in 2021 from John Elkann, scion of Italy's Agnelli family, and another from Gucci, when Maurizio Gucci was still at the helm.

Armani, who was particularly wary of French rivals, repeatedly ruled out any potential deal that would have diluted his control and refused to list his group on the stock market. He put in place measures to ensure continuity and independence, running the business with trusted family members and a network of long-time colleagues.

He is survived by a younger sister, Rosanna, two nieces, Silvana and Roberta, and a nephew, Andrea Camerana. All occupy important roles in the group. His right-hand man Pantaleo Dell'Orco is also regarded as a member of the family, and all five are possible heirs. More clarity on his plans may emerge in the coming weeks, when Armani's will is opened.