Giorgio Armani

1934-2025

Giorgio Armani Today: Iconic Fashion Designer Dies at Age 91

Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who founded the Armani fashion empire, died in his home in Milan on September 4. The 91-year-old is survived by his partner, Leo Dell'Orco, who is the head of men's style at his brand, and his sister, Rosanna.

“Mr. Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by his employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” the Armani Group said in a statement. “Tireless, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, its collections, and the diverse and ever-changing projects underway and in progress.”

Armani had reportedly been ill for a while. He was recently hospitalized for an unknown illness in June, which caused him to miss Milan Fashion Week for the first time.

The chairman, CEO, and creative designer of his eponymous brand, Armani founded his fashion house in 1975 with his business and romantic partner Sergio Galeotti. By the 1980s, he had become a household name after his tailored men's suits started appearing in movies and TV shows.

Leaning into the Hollywood market, Armani revolutionized red carpet dressing with his unstructured looks for both men and women. Over the years, he expanded his brand to included hotels and restaurants, but is best known for his contributions to fashion.

For five decades, Armani remained the sole owner of his company, becoming a billionaire many times over and enjoying a longevity that only a handful of designers have experienced. He will be remembered as one of the most influential people in fashion.

Giorgio Armani was an iconic clothing designer who has expanded his empire to include restaurants and hotels. With his body-conscious yet understated clothing, Armani became one of the most popular names in fashion. He first launched his business empire in the mid-1970s, and it has grown substantially over the years. His popularity skyrocketed in America in the 1980s when his men's “power suits” appeared frequently on the television series Miami Vice and in the 1980 film American Gigolo, which starred Richard Gere in Armani's signature garb. The Armani brand has grown to include makeup, housewares, books and hotels.

FULL NAME: Giorgio Armani
BORN: July 11, 1934
DIED: September 4, 2025
BIRTHPLACE: Piacenza, Italy
Partner: Sergio Galeotti (1966-1985)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Giorgio Armani was born on July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy. The son of a shipping manager, Armani grew up in a small town outside of Milan. It was a difficult time in Italian history. He and his two siblings, an older brother named Sergio and a younger sister named Rosanna, experienced the hardships of World War II firsthand. Some of Armani's friends were killed during Allied bombings. “We were poor and life was tough,” he once told Harper's Bazaar. “The cinema in Milan was a refuge — a palace of dreams — and the movie stars seemed so glamorous. I fell in love with the idealized beauty of Hollywood stars.”

Armani developed an interest in anatomy at an early age, making “dolls out of mud with a coffee bean hidden inside,” he explained to The Guardian. His fascination with the human form led to two years of medical school, which he quit to embark on a new career change. Armani went on to complete his required military service, during which he got his first taste of fashion while on vacation in Milan.

After completing his service, Armani dropped out of university and went to work at La Rinascente, a famous Milan department store, where he designed window displays. He then joined the staff of Nino Cerruti as a designer. With the encouragement of his friend Sergio Galeotti, Armani started to do freelance design work for other companies as well.

Armani and Galeotti became business partners, founding Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in July 1975. The company's first collection — a men's clothing line — debuted that year. Armani launched a women's collection the following year, which received a warm reception. His clothes were revolutionary at the time, introducing a more natural fit and using a subtle color palette. “My vision was clear: I believed in getting rid of the artifice of clothing. I believed in neutral colors,” he later told WWD.

While his designs were popular in Europe, Armani didn't make a big splash in America until 1980. His clothes were worn by actor Richard Gere in the film American Gigolo (1980), which helped generate a lot of interest in Armani. He also provided much of the wardrobe for the hit television series Miami Vice (1984-89), starring Don Johnson. Soon, many top Hollywood stars started wearing Armani on the red carpet, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jodie Foster and John Travolta, among others.

During the 1980s, wearing Armani became a symbol of success for many business professionals. They especially sought out the brand's “power suits.” With demand high, Armani and Galeotti were able to grow the business, opening up Armani stores in Milan. Armani, however, suffered a great personal and professional loss in 1985 when he lost Galeotti to AIDS. While some thought that the business might suffer after Galeotti's death, Armani showed the world that he was just as talented as an executive as he was as a designer.

Armani expanded his operations, opening his first restaurant in 1989. He also bought clothing manufacturer Simint S.p.A. and shares in other businesses. Not even legal troubles could slow down Armani's momentum. He received only a suspended sentence in 1996 after pleading guilty to bribing Italian tax officials in 1989 and 1990.

By the end of the 1990s, Armani had over 200 stores worldwide and annual sales of roughly $2 billion. His company continued to add to its product offerings, expanding into the home goods market and book publishing. In 2005, Armani debuted his first haute couture line. He launched this high-end venture because he liked the challenge. “Think how liberating it is for a designer to make one dress, perfectly, to satisfy only one customer,” he told In Style magazine. Armani’s brand can be found in major department stores around the world along with 500 exclusive retail stores.

Armani later expanded branched out into hospitality. In 2010, he opened his first hotel in Dubai, followed by another one in Milan in 2011. Over the years, several family members worked for him in this vast enterprise, including his sister Rosanna and his nieces, Silvana and Roberta. Armani held the role of chairman, CEO, and creative designer at his eponymous company until his death in September 2025.

Armani was notoriously private about his personal life, keeping his relationships to himself for most of his life. While he had hinted at his sexuality in 2000 when told Vanity Fair, “I have had women in my life. And sometimes men,” Armani later confirmed that he was in a romantic relationship with his business partner, Galeotti, who he had met at a nightclub in Versilia.

“I saw Sergio in his car and I immediately fell for his Tuscan smile,” he told Pink News in 2024. The pair were together from the late 1960s to 1985, when Galeotti died from AIDS. “When Sergio died, a part of me died with him,” Armani added. “I'm still amazed that I found within myself the resilience to withstand such an immense pain.”

In 2024, the designer revealed he was in a decades-long relationship with Leo Dell'Orco, the head of men's style at his brand, but did not specifically mention when they started dating. They were together until Armani passed away in 2025.

On September 4, 2025 Armani died in his home in Milan at age 91. He had been hospitalized for an unknown illness just months before in June, causing him to miss Milan Fashion Week for the first time. Four years prior, in June 2021, Armani fractured his arm in a fall on his way out of a movie theater.

Even in death, his legacy lives on through his fashion empire, solidifying his status as one of the most successful designers in history. After more than three decades in the business, Armani enjoyed a longevity as a designer experienced by few others, comparable only to such fashion greats as Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.

Despite his success, however, Armani was always humble about his efforts. “I like the idea of having built this beautiful empire, but I still like to think of myself as the stable boy,” he once told WWD.

• My vision was clear: I believed in getting rid of the artifice of clothing. I believed in neutral colors.
• Think how liberating it is for a designer to make one dress, perfectly, to satisfy only one customer.
• I like the idea of having built this beautiful empire, but I still like to think of myself as the stable boy.

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