Milan (AP) – for Giorgio Armaniit was always clothes. And his clothes all began with fabric.
Other fashion empires make money with handbags and footwear, but Armani’s charm has always been in the apparel, the core of his $10 billion empire.
After his death on Thursday At the age of 91, Armani was remembered as the definitive figure of Italian luxury ready-made clothing, softening the power suits of the 1980s, decades of fruitful Hollywood collaborations.
But he was also an innovative communicator and boss who maintained his independence in the age of integration and was responsible for all aspects of his business.
“King George is the first of everything. The first is not the only,” said Mario Boselli, president of the Italian fashion office from 1999 to 2015.
jacket
The dismantled soft shoulder jacket catapulted Armani to fashion stardom. Richard Gere In the 1980 film “American Gigolo” and as the heart of a women’s wardrobe.
“I think the famous Armani jacket was a discovery that allowed women to live everyday in Armani clothing that could go on dates from work. Armani was able to dress women from morning to evening.
Armani himself said in his 2015 memoir, “I wanted to create a new kind of femininity that forces men to see women with new eyes.”
“I have a great respect for women. I think they know how to be seductive without resorting to vulgarity and the overly easy-to-slip exhibitionism,” writes Armani.
The jacket has remained at the heart of his collection throughout decades. However, he introduced more couture elements ready-made to counteract his image as a power suit designer.
Textile
All collections began with a cascade of textiles on a huge table. This is what Armani himself examines after his team makes his first choice.
“The collection, the mood and the atmosphere started with the fabric,” said Arthur Arbescher, Austrian designer based in Milan.
“It was unique. I learned to touch the fabric from him, then to form a gradient of colour with another fabric and another shade,” Arbesser said.
Boselli first met Armani 45 years ago and arrived at Borgnovo’s office in a satchel of jersey knit samples as a sales representative for his family’s textile company.
“He looked at the entire collection of fabrics and personally chose them,” Boseli recalled. “That’s not what everyone does. It takes time, it takes care of him. He gave great respect for other people’s work.”
Schmann said his fabric choices have “a sensory overload” for Armani’s store.
Creates beauty
Armani’s main purpose: Creating beauty.
Armani’s timeless aesthetics of elegance remained constant throughout decades. But Armani has always had a following, from Hollywood stars to Hollywood stars who can count on stunning looks without too much risk, to everyday people who sought tailor drows that were well-made to project from morning to evening.
“Armani was a river of beautiful design. You could come and go, and there was some continuity,” Schumann said.
Kenneth Richard, founder of the influential fashion newsletter The Insirves, Armani “The Original Game-Changer,” “for the size of the fashion empire, he built himself up and extended his brand into areas such as home decor and hotels, while maintaining his attention to his famous details.
“You can check in at your hotel in Armani and wear it downstairs to go to a red carpet event. Where else can you do this? I’m sleeping in Armani’s bed,” Richard said.
On the runway, Armani “sticked to a singular voice throughout 50 years.”
“His aesthetics are refined and approachable. When you consistently do the same thing over and over again, you can’t be a 10 billion dollar brand. He sells. People want to wear his clothes.”
What’s next?
Giorgio Armani’s final collection will be previewed at Milan Fashion Week later this month at an event that chronicles 50 years of his signature fashion house.
Armani set the foundation as a succession tool to keep his business from splitting. Unusual in the Italian fashion world, he never sold a part of his company to outsiders.
He also showed it Creative inheritance We go to longtime collaborator Leo Delcorco and his Nie Silvana Armani. He leads the collection of men’s and women’s clothing from all Armani collections, respectively: Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange.
The issue of generational succession has always been challenging in the vast majority of Italy’s family-owned fashion industry. Armani’s attention to every detail of the empire he launched 50 years ago would be a difficult act to follow him.
“He was involved in a very stage of the process from start to finish. All the photos, all the fonts, everything,” Arbesser said. “That’s what makes the difference. These days, we don’t have a boss or a creative director. They have a lot of control over everything. That’s where the magic comes in. And that’s where it’s hard to see what happens right now.”
