Giorgio Armani

Synopsis

Born on July 11, 1934, in Italy, Giorgio Armani is an iconic clothing designer who has expanded his empire to include restaurants and hotels. His popularity skyrocketed in America in the 1980s when his men's 'power suits' appeared frequently on the television series Miami Vice and in the 1980 filmAmerican Gigolo, which starred Richard Gere in Armani's signature garb.

Early Life

Designer Giorgio Armani was born on July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy. With his body-conscious yet understated clothing, Giorgio Armani has become one of the most popular names in fashion. He first launched his business empire in the mid-1970s, and it has grown substantially over the years. The Armani brand now includes makeup, housewares, books and hotels.

The son of a shipping manager, Armani grew up in a small town outside of Milan. It was a difficult time in Italian history. Giorgio and his two siblings—older brother Sergio and younger sister Rosanna—experienced the hardships of World War II firsthand. Some of his friends were killed during Allied bombings. "We were poor and life was tough," he explained to Harper's Bazaar. "The cinema in Milan was a refuge—a palace of dreams—and the movie stars seemed so glamorous. I fell in love with the idealized beauty of Hollywood stars."

Early Designs

After completing his military service, Armani dropped out of university and went to work at La Rinascente, a famous Milan department store. He then joined the staff of Nino Cerruti as a designer. With the encouragement of his friend Sergio Galeotti, Armani started to do freelance design work for other companies as well.

Armani and Galeotti became business partners, founding Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in July 1975. The company's first collection—a men's clothing line—debuted that year. Armani launched a women's collection the following year, which received a warm reception. His clothes were revolutionary at the time, introducing a more natural fit and using a subtle color palette. "My vision was clear: I believed in getting rid of the artifice of clothing. I believed in neutral colors," he later told WWD.