About Giorgio Armani
Background Information – The Man Behind The Brand
Giorgio Armani is one of the most celebrated and influential designers in the world today. His fragrance lines are revered the world over, and new perfumes and aftershaves are eagerly awaited. His clothing ranges have propelled him to the upper echelons of fashion society, and the name Giorgio Armani is one of the first thought when fashion and fragrance are mentioned. However, it was by a stroke of luck that allowed him to break into the fashion industry in the Sixties, after brief forays into medicine (having studied at Milan University) and photography.
Following a period of military service, Giorgio Armani began his career in fashion as a window dresser at a large Milanese department store - La Rinascente. He subsequently revealed that he worked on and developed his classic style during this time, following frequent trips to the UK. "England was virtually the most important centre for inspiration, when I was working for La Rinascente we used to travel to London for the influences, to see the shops, to learn. I remember seeing some yellow cardigans in a small boutique and bringing them to La Rinascente and everyone thought I was insane. Yellow cardigans were what the Duke of Windsor wore; they were not something for the average man on the street. The entire idea of such clothing was so elitist... very, very English." It was such inspiration that caused Giorgio Armani to concentrate his work on a range that was aspirational and elite, yet available for the common man.
In 1964, armed with an in-depth knowledge of fabric and design, he became a designer for Nino Cerruti's men's clothing company, Hitman. Positions at leading designers Ungaro and Zegna were to follow. In 1974, Armani introduced his own menswear label, with his first womens wear collection coming one year later.
Since 1975, Armani has overseen the launch of Giorgio Armani Junior, Underwear, Swimwear, Accessories and Occhiali. Capitalising on the desirability of his more exclusive label, he opened the first of a series of stores selling his cheaper, more accessible lines, Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans, in 1981. In 2000, he added a new make-up range to his output.
Today, the Armani empire is composed of around 2,000 emporia world-wide with annual sales of more than US$1 billion. His catwalk shows draw a distinguished crowd - when he showed in New York in March 1998 Robert de Niro, Spike Lee, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Scorsese, Sophia Loren and Wyclef Jean of The Fugees were all distinguished guests.
Giorgio Armani is aspirational and exclusive, highly expensive and out-of-reach. Yet Armani claims to base his vision on the everyday people in the street, believing that clothes should be made to be worn, not just seen; and drawing on the skills he learned as a menswear designer to produce contemporary clothes for women.
In 2000, Forbes declared Giorgio Armani to be the world's most successful designer, with personal earnings of $135 million in 1999. In 2001, the magazine put him at No.19 (behind the Bulgari family and ahead of the Pradas) on a list of Fashion's New Aristocrats.
The fragrances attributed to Giorgio Armani are commonly hailed as among the finest produced. While expensive, the likes of Armani Code and Emporio Armani Remix are not out of reach. The scents are expensive, the fragrance out-of-touch, yet as with the rest of the Giorgio Armani empire – within reach.
Fragrance has played a large role in the success of Giorgio Armani, with classics such as Acqua di Gio launching his fragrance line to unprecedented heights. Today, the launch of new products is eagerly awaited and products such as Armani Code are subject to huge demand.
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