This article is about the fashion designer. For his company, see
Armani.
Giorgio Armani (born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy,1 with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion, and a personal fortune of $5 billion.2
Early life and fashion career
Armani was born in Piacenza. From 1961 to 1970, he worked as an assistant designer at a fashion house Nino Cerruti, where he designed for the menswear label "Hitman". In 1970, he left the company to pursue freelance work. He partnered with Sergio Galeotti to establish a menswear label Armani in 1974, and introduced a women's wear line in 1975. His sister Rosanna Armani subsequently joined him. Galeotti died of a heart attack in 1985 at his home in Milan.3
Armani achieved his international breakthrough by tailoring for numerous Hollywood names and especially for Richard Gere in the title role of American Gigolo in 1980. In 2001, Forbes named him the most successful Italian designer and estimated his net worth at $1.7 billion. He was given the same award five years later, as the magazine estimated his fortune at $4.1 billion.
Innovations
Armani was the first designer to ban models with a body mass index (BMI) under 18, after model Ana Carolina Reston starved herself to death due to anorexia nervosa.
The Armani Privé spring/summer 2007 fashion show was broadcast via MSN and Cingular cellular phones.4
After LG teamed with Prada to introduce the LG Prada phone, Samsung joined Armani to design the Giorgio Armani phone.
Armani designed made-to-measure suits for Christian Bale's character Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. Advertisements featuring "Giorgio Armani for Bruce Wayne" were released in 2008 with pictures of Christian Bale wearing Armani suits. However, Bale later claimed in a GQ interview that the campaign was produced without his permission.5
In sport
Giorgio Armani has a keen interest in sports. He is the president of the Olimpia Milano basketball team6 and an Inter Milan fan, and twice designed suits for the England national football team.7 He has since designed suits worn by players of the London club Chelsea since August 2007.8 He designed the Italian flag bearers' outfits at the opening ceremony at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Armani also designed and introduced the EA7 range, a brand inspired by Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko, who at the time played for AC Milan and wore number 7 jersey.
Other businesses
Armani opened his first restaurant in the U.S., Armani/Ristorante. The restaurant opened in New York in February 2009 and has been rated by the Zagat Survey.9
Giorgio Armani also designed a furnished with a special furnishing collection from Armani/Casa. The hotel will be named as Armani Hotel and is located in Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hotel is due to open 4th of January, 2010. Giorgio himself designed the floors and it is said to be one of its kind.
Notes
References
- Mackenzie, Suzie (2004-12-11). "The gentle touch". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,1369891,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- McCartney, Stella (2006-05-16). "The wisdom of King Giorgio". Independent on Sunday. http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article484641.ece. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- "Q & A: Giorgio Armani". The Scene (CNN). 2006-10-03. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/06/01/milan.qa/. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- Lee, Vinny (2007-09-22). "Above the shop". London: The Times. http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/interiors/article2474210.ece. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- Schinke, Amanda (2008-10-07). "Liar, Liar, Armani on Fire!". PETA. http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/10/liar_liar_arman.php. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- Giorgio Armani, Spring-Summer Couture
- Giorgio Armani - The Businessman, the Designer and the Brand
External links
| Persondata |
| NAME |
Armani, Giorgio |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES |
|
| SHORT DESCRIPTION |
Couturier |
| DATE OF BIRTH |
1934-07-11 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH |
Piacenza |
| DATE OF DEATH |
|
| PLACE OF DEATH |
|
