Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani
Born 11 July 1934 (1934-07-11) (age 75)
Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Nationality Italian
Labels Giorgio Armani S.p.A.
Awards CFDA International Award for 1983

Giorgio Armani (born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1974, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy,[1] with an annual turnover of $1.691 billion, and a personal fortune of $5 billion.[2]

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Fashion career

From 1961 to 1970, Armani worked as a designer in well-known fashion house Nino Cerruti Jimenez, after which he left to pursue freelance work. In 1974, with his partner Sergio Galeotti, he established Armani with a menswear label, introducing a womenswear line in 1975. His sister Rosanna Armani joined him in the company; Galeotti died of AIDS in 1985.

Armani achieved his international breakthrough by tailoring for numerous Hollywood names and especially for Richard Gere in the title role of American Gigolo in 1980. In 2001, Forbes named him the most successful Italian designer, estimating his net worth at $1.7 billion; in giving him the same title five years later, the magazine estimated his fortune had grown to $4.1 billion.

Innovations

Armani was the first designer to ban models with a body mass index (BMI) under 18, after model Ana Carolina Reston starved herself to death due to anorexia nervosa.

The Armani Privé spring/summer 2007 fashion show was broadcast via Microsoft Corporation’s MSN and Cingular cellular phones.[3]

Armani teamed up with Samsung to make the Giorgio Armani cell phone similar to the LG Prada.

Armani designed made to measure suits for Christian Bale's character Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. Advertisements featuring 'Giorgio Armani for Bruce Wayne' with pictures of Christian Bale wearing Armani suits from the film were released in 2008.

In sport

Giorgio Armani has a keen interest in sports; he is the president of the Olimpia Milano basketball team,[4], an Inter Milan fan and has twice designed suits for the England national football team.[5] He has been responsible for the suits worn by England's Chelsea FC since August 2007.[6] He designed the ceremonial Italian flag-bearers' outfits at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Turin.

Controversies

In 2007, Mr. Armani pledged to PETA that he would discontinue the use of animal fur in his fashions. This year, however, he has included clothing with more fur in his lines, including rabbit-fur coats for babies and children.

Notes

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Persondata
NAME Armani, Giorgio
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Couturier
DATE OF BIRTH 1934-07-11
PLACE OF BIRTH Piacenza
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH