Giorgio Armani Early Days
Giorgio Armani was born in the northern Italian town of Piacenza, where he was raised with his older brother Sergio and younger sister Rosanna by his mother Maria Raimondi and father Ugo Armani.
His mother worked in a boutique where she introduced her son to the world of fashion.
His father also worked in the fashion industry, but left his family when Giorgio was only three years old. He died when Armani was nine years old.
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Apprentiship
Armani never finished school, instead finding a job as an apprentice in a local clothing factory at the age of thirteen.
His apprenticeship was cut short when he enlisted in the army at age fifteen. After being discharged from the army, he found work at a local clothing store named La Rinascente, where he became a sales assistant.
He worked his way up to become head of personnel before being promoted to manager of the menswear department at the age of twenty-three.
During this period, Armani joined a theatrical group made up of university students, where he met his future wife, Roberta
He worked his way up to become head of personnel before being promoted to manager of the menswear department at the age of 23.
Sergio Galeotti
Armani was one of the first designers to create awareness of “brand identity” through advertisements for his various brands. By the mid-1980s he had built a sizeable fashion empire with his label, Giorgio Armani S.p.A., including the runway collection, a firm specialising in tailored menswear, Emporio Armani (a chain of high-end supermarkets), shoes, accessories , cosmetics , home furnishings , eyewear , watches , jewellery , childrenswear , furniture , and hotels .
Although he was not yet a household name, Armani had no trouble getting an appointment with the owner of a small textile firm who was also a manufacturer of men’s clothing. The two men hit it off immediately and Armani left with an exclusive contract to provide all of the firm’s textile needs. A year later, he was approached by the owner of another textile company and won another similar contract.
Armani and Galeotti now began to work together as a team.
Galeotti brought to the partnership his knowledge of the Italian textile industry and his instincts for colour and design.
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He also served as a buffer between Armani and producers, allowing Armani time to concentrate on his designs. Galeotti was as good as his word; he provided designs for more than fifty companies in addition to those he made for Armani’s own label.
During the 1970s, Galeotti gradually withdrew from active involvement in production and became instead Armani’s manager and promoter.
Their first big break came when they were asked to make a line of men’s clothing for La Rinascente, the department store that had been Italy’s first mail-order outlet.”
Clothing Lines
Armani was living and working in Milan, and this time he was determined to succeed.
He and Galeotti started a new fashion company with an initial investment of $10,000.
They began producing women’s clothing, but the business was soon eclipsed by Armani’s men’s line, which quickly gained popularity as Armani realised that his talent lay in designing menswear.
He was able to live from the money he made from the company for the first time when he designed a white shirt with a distinctive double collar, for which he later applied for a trademark.
The shirt became Armani’s calling card. He began wearing it himself and it became central to his brand’s image.
The double-collar shirt is now one of the most recognizable features of his clothing lines.
It has been imitated countless times and has been worn by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, former United States President Bill Clinton, comedian George Lopez and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Armani also designed other famous pieces such as the “cobra” jacket that was popular in the 1980s.
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Armani
In 1978 the company signed a license with Gruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT) for the production and distribution of fragrances, cosmetics and beauty products.
In 1980 it partnered with L’Oreal on a licensing agreement for the production and distribution of Armani brand perfumes, cosmetics, beauty products and sunglasses. It made another partnership in 1988 with Luxottica for eyewear. Finally, it launched Armani Exchange with Simint by 1993.
Armani by the 1990s had strategy, to cancel licensing and to take every production in house every minor & even major details were monitored.
The company decided to buy out factories previously owned by GFT (1990), Eredi Tagliatore (1994), Antinea (1990) and Simint (1996).
In 2000, after buying factories from Zegna, Armani formed a joint venture for the production and distribution of the Collezioni men’s collection. Armani’s share was later bought up by Itochu Japan.
Giorgio Armani is widely considered to be the most famous designer of the 1980s
Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas.
Armani also opened five megastores in the early 2000s, designed by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas. The first such venue, Armani/Manzoni, is in Milan and has all of the company’s brands. Other such venues are in Hong Kong (Armani/Chater House), Munich (Armani/Fünf Höfe), Tokyo (Armani/Ginza Tower) and New York (Armani/Fifth Avenue).
Samsung
From 2003 until 2012, Safilo Group held the exclusive licence for Armani designer frames. In 2003, the Group started a joint venture with Samsung, called Armani/Samsung, which makes high-end electronic goods.
In 2007, Giorgio Armani confirmed to Reuters that Beiersdorf had approached him in 2005 about a potential merger.
However, he was too distracted by other projects to pursue that option. He explained that in 2016 he established the Giorgio Armani Foundation which, while aiming to fund social projects, was also to “safeguard the governance assets of the Armani Group and ensure that these assets are kept stable over time.”
The Giorgio Armani Foundation is a Swiss non-profit foundation, established in 1996 and headquartered in Milan, Italy. It has as its mission to “safeguard the governance assets of the Armani Group and ensure that these assets are kept stable over time.”
By 2021, luxury yacht maker The Italian Sea Group was seen as a prime candidate for a stock market listing. The company was not merged with either LVMH or Kering.
Armani Brands
- Giorgio Armani
Armani Brands is a luxury brand that specialises in men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, glasses, cosmetics, and perfumes.
This brand has only the most high-end boutiques, specialty clothiers and select department stores as their sellers. The logo is a curved “G” completing a curved “A”, forming a circle.
- Emprio Armani
Emporio Armani is the second brand of the Armani family, which focuses on trendy modern styles. Also, Emporio Armani along with Giorgio Armani are the only two ready-to-wear brands that are designed by Giorgio Armani himself and has a spotlight at Milan Fashion Week every year.
- Armani Collezioni
Armani Collezioni is the diffusion line of Giorgio Armani that offers lower-priced clothes than Giorgio Armani and the haute couture line, Armani Privé. A white label with “Armani Collezioni” written in black is your indication of finding high-quality clothing at an affordable price. It offers made-to-measure tailored suits and shirts where every element can be selected.
- Armani Exchange
A|X Armani Exchange was launched in 1991 in the U.S. It retails fashion and lifestyle products, including clothes, denim, watches, apparel, footwear, accessories, fragrance, home goods, cosmetics and electronics.
Designed by Antonio Ermini Prota and Edoardo Gabbrielli for A/X Armani Exchange stores are typically located in upscale shopping malls or city central business districts
- Armani Junior
Armani also designs products for babies, toddlers, and teenagers under the labels Armani Junior and Armani Baby. The Armani Junior brand was introduced in 1979. The junior line consists of baby clothing, accessories, T-shirts, pullovers, suits, shoes, hats, shirts, belts, bags, and underwear. Clients can buy Armani Junior online or by visiting one of the 167 independent Armani Junior boutiques around the globe .
- Amarni Casa
The Armani label consists of a furniture and home collection called Armani/Casa. The Italian word “casa” meaning house, is used in the context of being “at home” meaning Giorgio Armani’s interior design collection can be found in a flagship store that opened in Milan, Italy in 2000.
When Armani was asked why he wanted a furniture line, he said that he “wanted to give people the opportunity to design their own private home.”
- Armani/Dolci
Angelico di Dolci is also under the Armani name. A confectionery is also under the Armani name. The brand was established in 2002. The brand mainly sells chocolates, jams, honey, tea, biscotti, fruit jellies and pralines. The brand is mostly part of other Armani stores but has got its own boutique in Taichung, Taiwan. In total 152 stores sell Angelico di Dolci” products.
- Armani/Fiori
The Giorgio Armani label has a florist under its name called Armani/Fiori. Its floral arrangements can be found in major independent flower boutiques and other Armani stores around the world. The flowers used for the Armani/Fiori arrangements come mostly from the Netherlands
- Armani/Hotels
Armani signed an agreement in 2005 for Emaar Properties PJSC to build and operate at least seven luxury hotels under the Armani name. The Armani hotel was opened in Burj Khalifa on April 27, 2010, comprising the bottom 39 floors of the supertall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- Giorgin Amarni Pafrfumes
Giorgio Beverly Hills is a luxury designer fragrance. Giorgio’s first foray into perfumes was in 1981 with the release of Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills, the first Armani branded perfume.
Simply called Armani, this chypre perfume for women (now discontinued) was to be the first of many successful perfumes to be released under the signature Giorgio Armani label. This was followed in 1984 by the release of the first Armani fragrance for men called Armani Eau Pour Homme.
In 1990, Armani releases Giò, the first of his floral scents for women. The 1990s are all about boldness. The decade is bookended by Acqua Di Giò Pour Homme and L’Eau d’Issey, two very different kinds of aquatic perfume, but they both share that fresh watery feel that will characterize the decade. Both also employ soft flowers to balance out the sensations of wetness evoked by the scents.
Emporio Armani
The first duo fragrance was launched in the form of She and He. These were the first Armani perfumes to be released under the more youthfully inspired Emporio Armani label and was the beginning of a new duo fragrance trend for Armani. In 1999, the original Armani Mania for women was released. Although popular, this woody oriental fragrance was short-lived, and with its black packaging and black lid, it was often confused for a men’s fragrance
The next Giorgio Armani perfume will be White She and White He in 2001. Lighter and fresher than the original She and He fragrances, White was originally intended to be a limited edition Summer fragrance but is still available today. Following on from Giorgio Armani’s success, several duo Giorgio Armani perfumes were released between 2003 and 2006 including Night for Her and Him (now discontinued), City Glam and Remix.
Armani continues to introduce new perfumes each year, including Armani Privé Ambre Soie, Armani Privé Eau de Jade, Armani Privé Pierre de Lune, Armani Privé Cuir Améthyste, Armani Privé Éclat de Jasmine, Armani Prive Rose Alexadrie, and 2005’s Armani Privé Vetiver Babylone.
Armani releases exciting new fragrances, and popular Armani perfumes continue to sell well after more than three decades.
Giorgio Armani - NetWorth
Giorgio Armani net worth is $9.6 billion dollars. Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer who best known for his popular men’s suits. Armani first launched his business empire in the mid-1970s, and it grew substantially. His popularity reached new heights in the ’80s when his men’s ‘power suits’ began appearing frequently on the actors in the series Miami Vice and again in the 1980 film American Gigolo. Armani is also the richest openly LGBT person in the world.”
