Renowned designer, Giorgio Armani, is dead

Giorgio Armani, the world-renowned Italian designer whose name became synonymous with timeless elegance, has died at the age of 91.

Known as the embodiment of Italian sophistication, Armani transformed the way both men and women wore suits, reshaping tailoring for a modern era.

What began as a fashion house in the 1970s grew into a global empire spanning beauty, fragrance, music, sport and even luxury hotels. The Armani brand generated more than £2bn annually, cementing his reputation as one of fashion’s most powerful business figures.

Designer Donatella Versace honoured him on Instagram, writing: “The world lost a giant today, he made history and will be remembered forever.”

At his last runway appearance in January 2025, Armani took a bow beside Latvian model Agnes Zogla. In a tribute posted on the label’s Instagram account, the house said he “worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections and the many ongoing future projects,” calling him “indefatigable to the end” and “driven by relentless curiosity and a deep attention to the present and to people.”

Armani was a pioneer of red carpet glamour, dressing stars such as Zendaya, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts. He also designed performance looks for Lady Gaga and costumes for films including American Gigolo and The Wolf of Wall Street.

The designer made headlines in 2006 as the first major name to ban underweight models from his shows following the death of model Ana Carolina Reston.

Actor Russell Crowe praised him as a man who “made a mark acknowledged around the globe,” adding that Armani was present at “so many significant moments in my life.” British designer Paul Smith remembered his “dear friend and fellow designer” as a model of continuity and independence: “He has been an enormous source of strength and creativity for many years.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Armani “an icon, a tireless worker, a symbol of the best of Italy,” crediting his “elegance, sobriety, and creativity” with bringing international prestige to Italian fashion.

In one of his last interviews, fashion critic Alexander Fury wrote in the Financial Times: “He put women into a uniform of suits just as radical as Chanel’s, creating forceful, confident clothing that helped to power the working woman’s social revolution of the 1980s. By contrast, he relaxed menswear, deconstructing traditional tailoring in a manner that has affected how just about every suit in the world is made.”

Even in his tenth decade, Armani remained active on the fashion calendar. His March 2025 collection carried a political message, with the designer saying he wanted to “imagine new harmony” in response to global unrest. Though he missed Milan Fashion Week that June, and directed his July couture show in Paris remotely from Milan, he continued to influence the industry until the end.

Tributes also poured in from Vogue’s Laura Ingham, who described him as a “true gentleman” and “titan of the industry,” writing: “If you don’t know anything about fashion, you’ll still know Giorgio Armani. Mr. Armani built a house synonymous with timeless Italian elegance and enduring style.”

Born in 1934, Armani initially pursued medicine before moving into fashion in the 1960s. In 1975, he launched his namesake label alongside his late partner Sergio Galeotti. His career was not without controversy, from criticism over remarks in 2015 about how gay men should dress to a 2014 tax settlement with Italian authorities.

Away from the runway, Armani was a passionate sports fan, owning basketball team Olimpia Milano and supporting Inter Milan. He also partnered with Ferrari’s Formula One team—driver Charles Leclerc said on Instagram it was “a great honour to have had the chance to meet and work with such an amazing person.”

Throughout his lifetime, Armani was decorated with awards including the French Legion of Honour and the Italian Order of Merit for Labour.

Vogue’s Ingham summed up his enduring impact: “His legacy is woven not only into fashions past and present but will continue to shape its future for generations to come.”

(BBC)