Former army medic forged brilliant career in fashion
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| Giorgio Armani |
Known for his menswear and the clean, tailored lines of his collections for women, Armani, who celebrates his 82nd birthday today, has become a multi-billionaire.
His original career plan was to become a doctor and he enrolled in the Department of Medicine at the University of Milan but after three years left to join the army. Due to his medical background he was assigned to the military hospital in Verona.
After he left the army, Armani decided to have a complete career change and got a job as a window dresser for La Rinascente, a Milan department store.
He progressed to become a sales assistant in the menswear department and then moved on to work for Nino Cerruti as a menswear designer.
In 1973 Armani opened a design office in Milan from where he worked as a freelance designer for fashion houses. He founded his own company, Giorgio Armani, in Milan in 1975.
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| La Rinascente in Milan, with its rooftop garden, as seen from the roof of the neighbouring Duomo |
In 2021, Armani began a multi-year sponsorship agreement as an official supplier to Scuderia Ferrari in return for brand exposure
Armani has built up a network of hundreds of boutiques and stores across nearly 40 countries. In 2019 moved for the first time into fine jewellery, with celebrities Sophia Loren, Brie Larson and Brooke Shields among those spotted wearing Armani jewellery at high-profile events.
He was also the first designer to ban models who had a BMI of less than 18, following the death of a model from anorexia.
Armani has built up a network of hundreds of boutiques and stores across nearly 40 countries. In 2019 moved for the first time into fine jewellery, with celebrities Sophia Loren, Brie Larson and Brooke Shields among those spotted wearing Armani jewellery at high-profile events.
He was also the first designer to ban models who had a BMI of less than 18, following the death of a model from anorexia.
Giorgio Armani, who was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2021, died in Milan in September, 2025, at the age of 91.
This article was updated in September, 2025.
Travel tip:
La Rinascente in Milan, where Giorgio Armani once worked, is right in the centre of the city in Piazza Duomo, close to the entrance to the Duomo metro stop. The store, which sells clothes and cosmetics as well as house wares, was nominated the Best Department Store in the World at a Global Department Store Summit in 2016. Along with the branch in Via Tritone in Rome, the Milan branch is regarded as one of the company's flagship stores. At its peak, the Rinascente Group operated more than 20 department stores across Italy, including Naples, Florence, Turin, Genoa, Palermo, Catania as well as Milan and Rome. Later, the brand streamlined its operations to focus on luxury retail and today operates just nine stores, emphasizing high-end fashion and design.
Travel tip:
La Rinascente in Milan, where Giorgio Armani once worked, is right in the centre of the city in Piazza Duomo, close to the entrance to the Duomo metro stop. The store, which sells clothes and cosmetics as well as house wares, was nominated the Best Department Store in the World at a Global Department Store Summit in 2016. Along with the branch in Via Tritone in Rome, the Milan branch is regarded as one of the company's flagship stores. At its peak, the Rinascente Group operated more than 20 department stores across Italy, including Naples, Florence, Turin, Genoa, Palermo, Catania as well as Milan and Rome. Later, the brand streamlined its operations to focus on luxury retail and today operates just nine stores, emphasizing high-end fashion and design.
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| Milan's Via Montenapoleone |
The original Giorgio Armani store in Milan is in Via Montenapoleone in the centre of the city. It reopened in April 2015 after Armani and his team of architects had completely redesigned the store to bring out the original architecture of the building. This was part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the company.
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(Photo of Giorgio Armani by GianAngelo Pistoia CC BY-SA 3.0)
(Photo of Via Montenapoleone by Geobia CC BY-SA 4.0)
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