On Giorgio Armani’s 90th birthday (11 July, 2024), we look back to a career-spanning conversation he had with British designer Paul Smith in 2022. Taken from the October 2022 issue of Wallpaper* – which Mr Armani guest edited – the pair talked shop, discussing everything from role models and career highs to their strong Italian and British roots which have endured over their several decades in business. And, with news that a celebratory Giorgio Armani show will take place in New York this October, he is showing no signs of letting up. Happy birthday Mr Armani!
In an industry that often moves at whim with breathtaking speed, Giorgio Armani has shown remarkable staying power. Expertly steering his eponymous brand for more than four decades, he has taken his vision of soft elegance from fashion to interiors and hospitality, built a multi-billion euro empire and, with Armani/Silos, created one of Milan’s foremost cultural institutions. As guest editor of Wallpaper’s October 2022 issue, Mr Armani invites fellow fashion legend Sir Paul Smith for a wide-ranging conversation about role models, design signatures, the virtue of consistency, the tide of technology, and much more.
