The exaggerated tailoring and fluid silhouettes of Giorgio Armani’s 1980s oeuvre provide the inspiration for a new unisex collection for the house, which launches exclusively in London department store Selfridges today (13 November 2023).
A rare collection from the house that spans mens and womenswear – traditionally, the house shows separate collections at the respective Milan Fashion Weeks – the pieces present ‘a modern notion of gender fluidity’ which nonetheless reflects the way Mr Armani’s designs have long been swapped between men and women.
Giorgio Armani’s 1980s-inspired unisex capsule
As such, pieces return to the roots of Giorgio Armani – first founded in 1975 and finding cultural ubiquity in the 1980s – with gently oversized tailoring in cashmere and wool, fluid knife-pleat trousers, and a duo of double-breasted coats with shrunken lapels.
A slew of luxurious wardrobe essentials, from a lightweight cashmere-silk polo-neck sweater to a knit silk-cotton T-shirt and crisp poplin shirt, sit alongside. A typically Armani-esque palette of grey, beige, brown and black runs throughout, while stripe motifs appear across shirts and ties.
‘An expression of the brand's relaxed design philosophy and modern approach to traditional tailoring from which Giorgio Armani helped define a new era in design and form,’ describes the house of the collection. An accompanying campaign was photographed on the streets of London.
‘This might sound rather obvious, but I constantly return to the softly tailored jacket,’ Mr Armani told Paul Smith in a conversation which ran in the October 2022 ‘Legends’ issue of Wallpaper*, guest-edited by the designer.
‘A jacket is an everyday item, a very pragmatic piece that nonetheless shows the immense power of clothing. It gives presence, stature and dignity. And it is one piece: you attain more with less.’
Giorgio Armani’s new unisex collection is available exclusively at Selfridges now. Later, in December, it will be available in Giorgio Armani’s Sloane Street store.
