Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died, the company announced on Thursday.
Armani, 91, was synonymous with modern Italian style and elegance. He combined the flair of a designer with the acumen of a businessman, running a company that turned over approximately 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) annually.
Giorgio Armani was the sole major shareholder of the company he founded with his late partner, Sergio Galeotti, in the 1970s, and he has no children to inherit a business that generated revenue of € 2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) in 2024.
"In this company, we have always felt like part of a family. Today, with deep emotion, we feel the void left by the one who founded and nurtured this family with vision, passion, and dedication," a statement from the Armani company read.
"But it is precisely in his spirit that we, the employees and the family members who have always worked alongside Mr. Armani, commit to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility, and love."
"With his elegance, sobriety, and creativity, he was able to bring luster to Italian fashion and inspire the entire world. An icon, a tireless worker, a symbol of the best of Italy. Thank you for everything," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated.
Fashion designer Donatella Versace said, "The world has lost a giant today. He made history and will be remembered forever."
Armani came under fire for Holocaust imagery in fashion
In April of 2021, the Armani brand came under fire when Roz Rothstein, CEO and co-founder of StandWithUs, posted a photo of a striped blazer resembling a Holocaust concentration camp uniform.
After widespread backlash from the Jewish community, the blazer was pulled from shelves, and the photo was removed from Armani’s Instagram.