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As Giorgio Armani celebrates the 40th anniversary of his eponymous fashion

house, the designer is still looking ahead, says Hannah Lewis

MAN ON A MISSION

Earlier this year, surrounded

by 500 guests ranging from

Hollywood stars to political

dignitaries, Giorgio Armani

kicked of the 40th-anniversary

celebrations for his iconic fashion

house with one of the most

stylish parties of the year. To

coincide with the launch of Expo

Milano 2015, Armani unveiled

a new exhibition space, Armani/

Silos, staged a grand fashion

show celebrating some of his

greatest creations, and ended the

night with a cocktail party at his

nightclub, Armani Privé.

The celebratory catwalk show

transported guests back through

the past four decades, presenting

highlights from the Giorgio

Armani Privé couture line from its

inception. Comprising 160 looks,

it was an impressive retrospective,

showcasing glamour, variety and –

notably – colour, a timely reminder

that Armani’s reputed fondness

for ‘greige’ is undeserved. From

layered tulle skirts in soft nudes

to bold scarlet of-the-shoulder

gowns, the show honoured a

designer with endless creativity

and the ability to make beautiful,

timeless clothes.

Even more impressively, this

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80 | F E AT U R E S

Above: Armani’s 40th-anniversary fashion show

On trend and

classic, Armani’s

fashion will last

a lifetime

represented just one part of the

Armani portfolio. There are

eight brands under the Armani

umbrella, producing everything

from jeans to home accessories,

baby clothes to ballgowns. The

brand has 49 retail spaces in Italy

alone, including the Armani Casa

fagship, an Armani café and the

aforementioned nightclub.

As a result, one could

spend days exploring Armani’s

achievements in the past 40 years

and not even scratch the surface.

As the man himself has said,

‘I’ve done everything.’ He has a

remarkably hands-on approach;

from architectural sketches to the

smallest fabric decisions, Armani

approves everything personally.

Many fashion commentators,

and Armani himself, have

attributed the designer’s prolifc

output to his late start in life. Now

81, the designer did not launch his

eponymous label until he was 40.

Even so, he has been able to ft the

work of at least one lifetime into

those four decades. The Armani

label launched in 1975, and by

the following year the designer’s

collections were already making

waves, with his ready-to-wear, in

particular, meeting the needs of

modern women perfectly.

Armani was instrumental

Previous page: Armani Privé autumn/winter 2014/15

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Above (clockwise from top): Armani/Silos (both); Armani Privé spring/summer 2015

in defning the look of the era,

but where others have fallen

by the wayside as trends have

changed, the brand has remained

the go-to label for everything

from suiting to eveningwear.

The forward-looking designer is

always thinking about the next

season, and he has an uncanny

ability to create clothes that are

simultaneously on trend and

classic; Armani’s fashion is fashion

that will last a lifetime.

Opening at the same time

as the retrospective show and

party, the new Armani/Silos

space plays host to an exhibition

showcasing 600 signature looks,

as well as a collection of sketches,

technical drawings and materials

from the Armani archives. Just

don’t call it a museum. Armani

SHOP | 83

Despite his

impressive legacy,

Armani’s eye is

firmly on the future

is not about stagnation, he’s

concerned with looking to the

future, and exhibits will be

changed every six months. The

building, a former granary, has

been sympathetically renovated to

maintain many original features

while also radically altering others

– a demonstration of Armani’s

passion for juxtaposing tradition

and modernity.

On the other side of the city,

the Armani Montenapoleone

fagship has recently been

renovated. Located in the historic

Palazzo Taverna, the store also

fuses old and new; the layout

has been returned to its original

foorplan, but each room has

been customised, with luxurious

materials such as marble and

onyx used throughout. As well

as stocking the largest Armani

product collection in the city, the

store is also home to a dedicated

made-to-measure service. Milan

was the natural choice for the

fagship; although Armani was

born in Piacenza, his label was

founded in the city and he has

lived and worked there ever since.

Despite his impressive legacy,

Armani’s eye remains frmly on

the future. At the moment he is

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Above (from top): Armani Privé nightclub, Milan; Emporio Armani autumn/winter 2015/16; Le Sac 11

focusing on a range of accessories,

including handbags, designed to

exist outside of the normal fashion

schedule. Armani has never relied

on accessories in the way that

many fashion houses have, but

the designer is always aware of his

audience and bags have become

big news.

Le Sac 11 has been launched

to coincide with the anniversary:

a practical top-handle bag that is

minimalist, classic and available

in three sizes and a selection of

diferent materials and colours.

The ‘11’ references not only

Armani’s birth date but also the

address of his company’s historic

headquarters. Despite this nod

to his heritage, the bag has – as

with everything Armani – been

designed with the present, and

future, in mind. A timeless design

conceived for today and built to

last: a ftting summation of the

Armani philosophy

armani.com