Re Giorgio’s Final Bow: Giorgio Armani, Master of Italian Elegance, Passes at 91
- Luxe magazine Switzerland
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Re Giorgio’s Final Bow: Giorgio Armani, Master of Italian Elegance, Passes at 91
By Holdener Patricia
Date: 4 September 2025 approximately 33 minutes after Armani’s passing was publicly announced.
In a moment that marks the close of a towering chapter in fashion history, Giorgio Armani, the visionary Italian designer and founder of one of the world’s most enduring luxury brands, has died at the age of 91. The Armani Group issued a statement today, September 4, 2025, declaring: “With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani.”
Renowned as “Re Giorgio” King Giorgio he was synonymous with modern Italian style, celebrated for his understated grace and meticulous craftsmanship . His passing closes not just the story of a man, but the years-long tale of a sartorial empire built on elegance, innovation, and autonomy.
A Legacy of Style and Authority
Born on July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy, Giorgio Armani emerged from modest origins. He initially pursued medical studies at the University of Milan but abandoned them in the early 1950s to pursue creative work, beginning as a window dresser before ascending to a design role at Nino Cerruti.
He co-founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in 1975 with his partner Sergio Galeotti a move that would ignite the global rise of his brand . His breakthrough came in part courtesy of cinema notably the 1980 film American Gigolo and the sleek, power-styled aesthetics of Miami Vice, which showcased his minimalist tailoring to international audiences.
Master Architect of Elegance
Armani’s influence went beyond mere design. He pioneered the approach of soft tailoring for men and women deconstructing traditional structure to create garments with relaxed refinement and wearable luxury. His ethos was described in a Vogue obituary as designing the “uniform of aspiration that both defined the 1980s and shaped the course of fashion beyond”.
He maintained tight control over every facet of his company from advertising to even adjusting models’ hair moments before they stepped onto the runway ensuring that the Armani brand remained cohesive, consistent, and unequivocally elegant.
By the time of his passing, the business generated some €2.3 billion annually a testament to his acumen as both designer and entrepreneur.
A Private Commander of Public Luxury
Even as his brand became a global powerhouse spanning fashion, cosmetics, homewares, hotels, and more Armani remained incredibly private, rarely spotlighting his personal life but always visible through his brand’s aura of discretion and dignity.
Despite declining health in recent months, he remained devoted to his life’s work, symbolically present at creation even when absent in person. He missed his first-ever runway at Milan Men’s Fashion Week in June 2025, a certainty that he continued overseeing design from home . The Vogue editorial underscores this by describing how he worked “until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects”.
An Elegy in Milan: Honoring the Maestro
The Armani Group has announced that a funeral chamber will be established this Saturday and Sunday in Milan, followed by a private funeral on an undisclosed date . Milan the city that Armani transformed into the epicenter of quiet luxury will serve as the backdrop to mourning, remembrance, and perhaps the silent farewell of a style titan.
Beyond Fashion: The Timeless Heritage
Armani’s legacy is immeasurable. He gave working women their first suits that were both feminine and powerful, he brought soft tailoring into mainstream wardrobes, and he helped define red-carpet style with a sense of effortless glamour .
Over the decades, his company expanded into independent lines such as Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, and Armani Beauty. The empire also branched into reflections of lifestyle Armani hotels, cosmetics, home decor all advancing the ethos of restrained luxury .
The Final Bow A Fashion Icon Resting
With Giorgio Armani’s passing, the fashion world mourns the fall of one of its most enduring pillars. As the Armani Group announced it “with infinite sorrow,” the legacy he nurtured lives on not merely in labels or collections, but in the elegant gravity he brought to how we dress, live, and present ourselves.
Armani’s death marks more than a stylists’ farewell; it is the close of an epoch in which elegance was redefined soft, wearable, and deeply human. In Milan this weekend, as admirers gather, the quiet elegance of his farewell will echo the presence he held in life: dignified, timeless, and unwavering.
