Giorgio Armani’s passing at the age of 91 has closed a golden age in high fashion, and consolidated the legacy of a visionary who forever redefined the codes of contemporary style. The designer’s death marks a crucial moment for an empire that generates annual revenues of €2.3 billion euros.
Armani transformed fashion with unstructured silhouettes that challenged decades of sartorial tradition. At a time when shoulder pads dominated the catwalks and men’s suits still followed rigid Victorian codes, the Milanese designer proposed something radically different: sophistication through simplicity.
His genius lay in understanding that true luxury did not shout, but whispered – the relaxed structure and flowing lines of Armani jackets freed both men and women alike from the strictures of extreme formality. Armani’s business success was, in essence, this concept of understated elegance turned into a multi-million-euro empire.
