Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, has died at home at the age of 91, his fashion house confirmed. Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in the global fashion industry, missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of Spring-Summer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition. He was planning a major event to celebrate 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani fashion house during Milan Fashion Week this month, reports the AP.
Starting with an unlined jacket, a simple pair of pants, and an urban palette, Armani put Italian ready-to-wear style on the international fashion map in the late 1970s, creating an instantly recognizable relaxed silhouette that has propelled the fashion house for half a century. From the executive office to the Hollywood screen, Armani dressed the rich and famous in classic tailored styles, fashioned in super-soft fabrics and muted tones. His handsome black tie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the show on award season red carpets. At the time of his death, Armani had put together an empire worth over $10 billion, which along with clothing included accessories, home furnishings, perfumes, cosmetics, books, flowers, and even chocolates, ranking him in the world's top 200 billionaires, according to Forbes.
Armani style began with Giorgio Armani himself, from the penetrating blue eyes framed in a permanent tan and early-age shock of silver hair, to the trademark jeans and T-shirt work clothes and the minimalist decoration of his private homes. Armani's fashion vision was that of easygoing elegance where attention to detail made the difference. "I design for real people. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothes and accessories that are not practical," he liked to say when asked to identify his clientele.
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Oscar night always sparkled, with smart suiting for the men and glittering gowns for the ladies. The 2009 best actor winner Sean Penn picked up his statue in a black-on-black Armani outfit, while best actress nominee Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in a shimmering white strapless evening gown from Armani's latest Prive couture collection. So significant was the impact of Armani style, not only on how people dressed but how they approached fashion, that in 2000 New York's Guggenheim museum presented a retrospective of Armani's first 25 years in fashion. "I love things that age well, things that don't date and become living examples of the absolute best," Armani said.
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