Giorgio Armani, the legendary Italian designer whose understated elegance reshaped global fashion, has died at the age of 91, his company announced Thursday, Sept. 4.
“Il Signor Armani, as he was affectionately and respectfully known by colleagues, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones,” the Armani Group said. “Indefatigable to the end, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects.”
Armani’s career blended creative genius with sharp business instincts, transforming his namesake label into a global powerhouse generating $2.7 billion annually. Born in Piacenza, Italy, in 1934, he initially studied medicine before turning to fashion. In 1975 he launched his eponymous line, which would come to define modern tailoring and understated luxury.
Marking 50 years in the industry in 2024, Armani’s brand became synonymous with impeccably cut suits, timeless fragrances and cosmetics, and a subdued yet powerful red-carpet aesthetic embraced by stars from Julia Roberts to Richard Gere. His reach extended beyond fashion into sports, designing uniforms for top soccer teams, and into hospitality with a collection of luxury hotels.
Colleagues and admirers paid tribute to his legacy. “I have always had the deepest respect and admiration for Giorgio Armani—not only as a designer who never strayed from his vision but as a man who loved his family, his friends, and his homeland in such a special way,” designer Ralph Lauren wrote in a statement to USA TODAY. “Though he was an icon of the world of fashion, he lived with great humility and a love of living that inspired the way he worked and the way he lived.”
Armani, who was famously private, never married and acknowledged having had relationships with both men and women. He had been in declining health for some time and withdrew from Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week in June—the first time in his career he had missed one of his own shows.
His employees and family said they “feel the void” left by a visionary who built the company “with passion and dedication” but pledged to protect and carry forward his legacy “with respect, responsibility and love.”
A private funeral, as Armani requested, will be held in Milan on Sept. 6–7.
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