Armani
Giorgio Armani S.p.A., commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and home interiors. Among others, Armani licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear and L'Oréal for fragrances and cosmetics. As of 2017, it is considered Italy's second-largest fashion group behind Prada.
In addition to the couture line Armani Privé, Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani are the company's ready-to-wear lines that show at Milan Fashion Week. Selling at lower prices are Armani Collezioni, Armani Exchange and Armani Jeans.
History
Armani and his partner, architect Sergio Galeotti, founded Giorgio Armani SpA in 1975, reportedly on money from the sale of Armani's Volkswagen Beetle car for $700.In 1978, Armani signed a license with Gruppo Finanziario Tessile. In 1991, Armani entered into a manufacturing and distribution license with Simint, when the company launched A|X Armani Exchange. By 1993, the Armani name was represented by 23 licensees and two large joint ventures in Japan.
By the 1990s, the company's strategy was to cancel licenses and take production in-house in a bid to exert more control over quality and distribution. Manufacturing arrangements later brought back in-house include the acquisition of Antinea, Simint and Intai. In 2000, after buying factories from GFT, Armani formed a joint venture with Zegna for the production and distribution of the Collezioni men's collection. Armani also increased to 85 percent of its share in the joint venture in Japan with Itochu.
In 2001, Armani commissioned architect Tadao Ando to transform an old Nestlé chocolate factory in Milan's Savona/Tortona area into the company's headquarters.
Also in the early 2000s, Armani opened five megastores designed by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, starting with the opening of the Armani/Manzoni store in Milan in 2000, which carries all of the company's brands. Other such venues are in Hong Kong, Munich, Tokyo and New York City.
In 2002, Armani announced a new joint venture with the shoe manufacturer I Guardi, as part of a strategy of bringing manufacturing under its control. Beginning in 2007, the company teamed up with Samsung to develop a line of high-end electronic goods.
In 2007, Giorgio Armani confirmed to Reuters that he had been approached by Beiersdorf in 2005 about a potential merger but had since been too distracted by other projects to pursue that option. In 2016, he confirmed he had established the Giorgio Armani Foundation which, while aiming to fund social projects, is also to "safeguard the governance assets of the Armani Group and ensure that these assets are kept stable over time." As part of his succession plan, the foundation will own an undisclosed stake in the company, with the rest going to his family. By 2017, the company was seen as a prime candidate for a stock market listing. In 2021, Giorgio Armani ruled out merging with either LVMH or Kering and reportedly also ruled out an offer by Stellantis to acquire a minority stake.
In February 2020, Armani was the first fashion brand to decide to close its runway shows to the public amid the beginning COVID-19 pandemic, holding the event without an audience. By March 2020, all of its Italian production plants started producing single-use medical overalls.
In 2021, luxury yacht maker The Italian Sea Group announced that Giorgio Armani SpA would invest in the company's IPO at the Italian Bourse.
Despite promising to suspend investments in Russia, Giorgio Armani continues to operate in the country amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the brand held a silent Milan Fashion Week show in February 2022 as a "sign of respect" for Ukraine, it has not reduced its activities or signaled plans to exit the Russian market. This ongoing presence has drawn criticism as international sanctions target Russia for its aggression and the killing of civilians in Ukraine. Giorgio Armani is among several European companies that remain operational in Russia, sparking questions about their ethical and corporate responsibilities during the conflict.
In April 2024, Giorgio Armani Operations was placed in judicial administration in Italy after an investigation alleging that the company employed illegal and undeclared Chinese labor workers.
On September 4, 2025, Giorgio died at the age of 91.
In September 2025, following the death of Giorgio Armani, details of his succession plan were made public. His will instructed the Giorgio Armani Foundation and heirs to sell an initial 15% stake in the company within 18 months to a "preferred" luxury group, including LVMH, L'Oréal, or EssilorLuxottica. The agreement also allows the buyer to acquire up to 54.9% of the business over the next three to five years. Should no sale take place, the company could pursue an initial public offering. The Foundation is required to retain at least 30% of Armani's shareholding to safeguard the brand's independence and legacy.
Controversy
In 1999, the New York Times and others raised concerns about a generous donation made by Giorgio Armani SpA to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York shortly before the museum announced that it would pay homage to Armani himself with a major retrospective of his work.In a 2014 report, Greenpeace publicly criticized Armani and other luxury brands after having found traces of chemicals that can pollute waterways in children's clothing and shoes; in response, the company committed to abolishing all chemicals that could cause environmental damage to production sites by 2020. Also in 2014, Giorgio Armani SpA paid 270 million euros to Italian tax authorities to settle a dispute over payments from the group's subsidiaries abroad.
In 2015, Giorgio Armani Corp's former general counsel Fabio Silva filed a $75 million lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court against the company, accusing it of discriminating against him because of his Mexican origins and firing him for having cancer.
On July 17, 2024, the Italian competition authority, Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, announced the launch of an investigation into Armani and Dior. The probe aims to determine whether these companies potentially misled consumers regarding their labor practices and supply chain management. Prosecutors claim to have discovered workshops on the outskirts of Milan where mostly illegal immigrant workers sold products to Armani as well as Dior for a fraction of their retail price. By August 2025, AGCM fined Giorgio Armani group and one of its units 3.5 million euros for alleged unfair commercial practices in its bag and leather accessory production.
Brands
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is a high-end label specialising in men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, glasses, cosmetics, and perfumes. It is available in Giorgio Armani stores, speciality clothiers, and some high-end department stores. The logo is a curved "G" completing a curved "A", forming a circle. In 2001, Armani created a joint venture with Vestimenta for the production of the men's and women's Borgonuovo line.Giorgio Armani worked with Albert Wolsky for Duplicity, with Lindy Hemming on the costumes for the cast of both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, with April Ferry for Elysium and with Sandy Powell for The Wolf of Wall Street. Other costume design projects have included American Gigolo, The Untouchables, A Star for Two, The Bodyguard, Nirvana, Hurlyburly, Ocean's Thirteen, Inglourious Basterds, The String, Hanna, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, A Most Violent Year and The Young Pope.
For its campaigns, the brand has worked with photographers including Sølve Sundsbø , Peter Lindbergh and Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. In 2016, Giorgio Armani stopped using animal fur in all of its collections, citing the availability of "valid alternatives at our disposition that render the use of cruel practices unnecessary as regards animals."
Armani Privé
Previously labeled Giorgio Armani Atelier, Armani Privé is the label for the designer's made-to-order pieces. Under the Privé label, the brand offers a couture collection, fragrances and jewelry.Emporio Armani
Established in 1981, Emporio Armani is the second brand of the Armani family and features ready-to-wear and runway collections. Emporio Armani focuses on trends and modern traits. Emporio Armani, along with Giorgio Armani, were the only two ready-to-wear brands mainly designed by Giorgio Armani himself, and have a spotlight at Milan Fashion Week every year while Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans, and Armani Exchange do not. Emporio Armani products are usually only sold in freestanding Emporio Armani stores and on the official website.Emporio Armani underwear campaigns have featured David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Megan Fox, Rihanna, Rafael Nadal and Calvin Harris. The brand's watch ad campaign has featured Shawn Mendes, among others. For its campaigns, the brand has worked with photographers including Alasdair McLellan and Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. In 2013, Emporio Armani provided costume design for the cast of The Counselor in partnership with 21st Century Fox