Story of Giorgio Armani
“You have to know yourself, your body, and your personality to know how to dress.”
The utterance of these words by Giorgio Armani do more than enough to embody the philosophy of his brand, a brand that is the quintessence of class. The timelessness of his designs reflect the personal care put into every piece he made, combined with a quiet work ethic that creates the personality of the Armani brand as we know it today: private elegance, rigorous simplicity, and the effortless “worn-in” look.
Armani’s Upbringing:
Giorgio Armani was born on July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy, to Ugo Armani and Maria Raimondi. Piacenza, a small town south of Milan, influenced Armani’s rise in the fashion sphere tremendously. Though his family didn’t have much money, Armani credits his parents for his taste in design, citing their simple elegance, an elegance that mostly came from the inside. Armani’s mother made clothes for him and all of his siblings, making them the envy of all of their classmates: he reminisces that they “looked rich, even though they were poor.”
Armani also credits the only form of entertainment they had access to growing up, cinema, as a significant source of inspiration for his clothes. Films were his “real first love,” and even as a famous designer, he still holds out hope that he will be a film director one day.
A Pivot Into the Fashion Industry:
As a young man, Armani moved from Piacenza to Milan to pursue a degree in medicine from the University of Milan. After only three years however, Armani dropped out to serve in the military. He was assigned to a military hospital in Verona, which he would later credit for building his iron discipline.
Back in Milan, Armani was faced with crossroads: either to go back to medicine school and complete his degree, or to embark on something new, and enter the fashion industry. To everyone’s relief, he chose to pursue a career in fashion, joining the esteemed Italian fashion house Nino Cerruti.
At Nino Cerruti, Armani worked as a menswear designer and tailored various pieces for the company. This proved to be an instrumental step in the long and successful career of Armani, as it is here where he developed his signature soft tailoring style, a style that would distinguish Armani for years to come.
Milan’s Influence on the Armani Brand:
Armani credits Milan as a birthplace of inspiration for his clothes, aiming to replicate the essence of the city with every thread sewn. He spoke very highly of the hidden beauty of Milan, with its “fantastic interiors, the intricate gardens, and intimate refined settings.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKo2Uz0DFo
The imperfect beauty style of interior design in Milan was expressed through the clothes of Armani, as he hated things that looked too perfect, saying that “when something is too perfect, it looks like everything was all planned out.” Paradoxically, Armani was a perfectionist himself, and even he recognized that he would spend far too much time adding things to designs or taking details out. However, it was this tendency to take things out that created the iconic simplicity of his designs, creating an intuitive elegance to every piece he made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKo2Uz0DFo
Mastery of the Suit Jacket:
Giorgio Armani launched his own label in 1975, with a focus on menswear. What differentiated Armani from all other luxury brands was his deep focus, almost philosophical perspective, surrounding what a suit jacket should be. To him, the perfect suit jacket was one that fell in a natural and casual way, “flowing” in step with its owner. All of his suit jackets were designed to have a comfortable, “worn-in,” look, with him wanting them to seem like the owner “had just taken it out of his closet.”
The design process for these wonderful suits involved removing all padding from the suits, and leaning on his prior education at Nino Cerruti to select the perfect fabric. He would spend hours dissecting every possible option, finding nuances in colors and patterns that were invisible to an untrained eye. Through this turmoil, Armani created a reputation for making suits in a beautiful hue of blue that combined shades of deep navy, steel blue, and midnight blue, a shade that is coined as “Armani Blue” today.
Intersection of Menswear and Womenswear:
Though the Armani brand launched with the intention of focusing on menswear, Giorgio soon recognized the attractive challenge in creating women’s clothes. He says that he “draws the men’s collection with his left hand,” almost like how a “pianist practices scales.” However, for women, it was another story, with the versatility of their style constantly making him tap into his utmost creativity.
In 1976, Armani debuted its first women’s collection, highlighting everyday and natural-looking suit jackets and workwear for women. The power of this decision cannot be understated, as it came at a time when women were still not seen completely as belonging in the workplace, and this line of clothing contributed to a more progressive view of women’s role in society in late 20th century Italy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKo2Uz0DFo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKo2Uz0DFo
Personally, Giorgio Armani is one of my favorite brands. I feel that Armani perfectly captures the idea that it’s not about what you wear, but how you wear it, and I love the effortlessness and naturalness that he and his clothes exude. Armani is definitely out of my budget right now, but I know I will own a suit of his one day.
Let me know what you think about the story of Armani in the comments of the post on our instagram @bcfashionclub!
Photos from Financial Times, Luxgentleman, and Reddit.All quotes from Made in Milan- Martin Scorsese, 1990
