The news of Giorgio Armani’s passing has rightfully created ripples across the fashion industry. The man, who redefined luxury ready-to-wear, was behind some of fashion’s most influential moments. We take a look at the legacy he left behind, from reinventing the suit to bringing couture to the red carpet.
In July 1975, Armani established his own label with his partner Sergio Galeotti. With his expertise in fabric, love for neutrals, and observations of current 70s society, Armani redefined the suit for both men and women. Blurring gender lines, the suit became soft and sensual for men and hardened and empowering for women. For men, he removed the lining and reconstructed the garment to hang delicately, emphasising the male form. And for women, he went for expert tailoring, giving women who were beginning to enter the workforce an alternative to a classic dress.
The lines were blurred even further when Julia Roberts attended the 1990 Golden Globes in an Armani men’s suit, showcasing true power dressing with the slouchy silhouette on the red carpet.
Armani was also the one behind celebrity styling, putting his name, and label, on the map after styling Richard Gere in ‘American Gigolo’ in 1980. Since then, he went on to design costumes for film and TV shows, most notably the 1987 thriller ‘The Untouchables.’
And apart from Julia Roberts, Armani transformed how we see celebrity styling today. From Beyonce to George Clooney to Zendaya, his designs of timeless glamour are what brought couture to the carpet, and an emphasis on celebrity style, especially during award season. We saw flowy liquid satins and embellishments on Zendaya at the 2024 Oscars and a structural galactic piece on Lady Gaga during the 2010 Grammys.
Beyond fashion, we remember his influence in interior design. Designing the interiors of the Armani Hotel, located inside the Burj Khalifa, it is chic and minimalistic, with a colour palette of neutrals, greys, and blacks.
In its own way, his interior design is remarkably similar to his signature fashion design; stripped back, minimal, and timeless. And that’s why his work sticks with us. He created ‘quiet luxury’ before it ever became a hashtag on TikTok. He popularised and made a slouchy silhouette sophisticated before athleisure became the new cool. He took what was a structured, stuffy suit, made for the 9-to-5 and redefined it into a casual, contemporary style, pairing it with T-shirts and sneakers. You may have never thought about it, or realised it, but Armani’s work has single-handedly influenced the way we as a society dress in so many ways. And we cannot thank him enough for it.
