Armani

Under Mr. Armani's leadership, Giorgio Armani SpA's mission is to continually create clothes and accessories that aspire to a kind of perfection that transcends fashion. Armani's clothing ignores the constant demand for novelty and possesses an elevated character, a quality that conveys a sense of permanence in a world infatuated with the temporary. Now, Giorgio Armani is poised for the future with a vision that crystallizes his approach to fashion as timeless, and yet always timely. Giorgio Armani is committed to the long-term view, reflected by his creation of new lines and divisions, and in his investment in new technology and infrastructures. Giorgio Armani S.p.A. is one of the world's leading fashion houses. Few designers are credited with changing fashion to the same extent as its namesake, Giorgio Armani, who is the firm's sole shareholder, managing director, and chairman of the board. The group is unique in remaining aloof from waves of consolidation in the luxury goods industry. Armani has invested instead in extending control over manufacturing and distribution of its products. The group has about 250 outlets in 34 countries and also markets its wares in exclusive department stores. Giorgio Armani was born on July 11, 1934 and, along with his brother and sister, grew up in the industrial town of Piacenza in northern Italy, which was bombed repeatedly during World War II. His sister Rosanna told Newsweek 's Christopher Dickey that Armani spent 40 days in the hospital when he was burned by a flare a classmate had found on the street. Armani formed his own company, Giorgio Armani S.p.A., on July 24, 1975, at the suggestion of his enthusiastic partner, Sergio Galeotti. One story, retold in Forbes, has the pair selling their used Volkswagen for startup capital. Another version, in a later edition of Forbes, puts the startup figure at $100,000. The first products were ready-to-wear clothes for men and women. The company was successful from the beginning; first year sales were $1 million. In 1978, a licensing agreement with GFT (Gruppo Finanziario Tessile) allowed Armani to invest in a new headquarters building. The building, a 17th-century palazzo at 21 Via Borgonuovo, Milan, would house not only offices but a theater for fashion shows as well as Armani's personal residence. Armani would be credited for inventing the Italian fashion industry, particularly in Milan. The next year, 1979, saw the establishment of the Giorgio Armani Corporation in the United States. Giorgio Armani would be counted among the world's leading fashion houses by the end of the decade. Part of the success was due to Armani's bold design gambles, which developed a more casual chic by such touches as removing padding from the traditional men's suit jacket. Women's clothes were made more comfortable and less showy. Other designers and knock-off artists would copy the look, but the original retained a dedicated following. The collection, by this time, had already been expanded to include several new lines, such as Mani, Armani Junior, and underwear and swimsuits. Armani and Emporio Armani brands of jeans were launched in the early 1980s, a decade known for its designer jeans. Emporio Armani was a lower-priced version of the flagship line; Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani boutiques were both soon opened in Milan. Giorgio Armani was one of the first designers to exploit the marketing power of media stars. He began a long relationship with Hollywood when he designed Richard Gere's wardrobe for the 1980 film American Gigolo. A string of other movie credits would accumulate throughout the next two decades, including Batman (1989) and Pulp Fiction (Emporio Armani) and, appropriately, Ready to Wear (both 1994). Armani was also responsible for much of the pastel wardrobe for the stars of Miami Vice, the hit TV series of the late 1980s. Armani sponsored or provided wardrobes for the musical tours of several pop musicians, including Paul Simon, Billy Jo