1957–1974: early career In 1957, after serving in the military for two years, Armani became a
window dresser and sales clerk at
La Rinascente, a department store in
Milan. Also in 1957, at the store, he was responsible for showcasing the earliest garments of the innovative Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company,
Marimekko. He became a seller for the menswear department. In that capacity, he gained valuable experience in the marketing aspect of the fashion industry. In the mid-1960s, Armani moved to the
Nino Cerruti company, where he designed menswear. His skills were in demand, and for the next decade, while working for Cerruti, Armani also freelanced, contributing designs to as many as ten manufacturers at a time. In the late 1960s, Armani met
Sergio Galeotti, an architectural draftsman, which marked the beginning of a personal and professional relationship which lasted for many years. In 1973, Galeotti persuaded him to open a design office in Milan, at 37
Corso Venezia. This led to a period of extensive collaboration, during which Armani worked as a freelance designer for several fashion houses, including Allegri, Bagutta, Hilton, Sicons, Gibò, Montedoro, and Tendresse. The international press was quick to acknowledge Armani's importance following the runway shows at the Sala Bianca in the
Pitti Palace in
Florence. The experience allowed Armani to develop his style in new ways. In 1990, Armani supported the
MoMA exhibition
Pier Paolo Pasolini: The Eyes of a Poet, which showcased a retrospective of Pasolini's cinematic work. Armani's contribution included the donation of a copy of the Pasolini film
Accattone (1961), reflecting his engagement with cultural initiatives beyond fashion. Armani established an innovative relationship with the fashion industry, characterized by the 1978 agreement with Gruppo Finanzario Tessile (GFT), which made it possible to produce luxury ready-to-wear in a manufacturing environment under the attentive supervision of the company's designer. In 1979, after founding the Giorgio Armani Corporation, Armani began producing for the United States and introduced the Main line for men and women. The label became one of the leading names in international fashion with the introduction of several new product lines, including G. A. Le Collezioni, Giorgio Armani Underwear and Swimwear, and Giorgio Armani Accessories. In the early 1980s, the company signed an important agreement with
L'Oréal to create perfumes and cosmetics Armani Beauty and introduced the Armani Junior, Armani Jeans, and Emporio Armani lines, followed in 1982 by the introduction of Emporio Underwear, Swimwear, and Accessories. A new store was opened in Milan for the Emporio line, followed by the first Giorgio Armani boutique. However, Armani was concerned for the end user, which later culminated in the development of a more youthful product with the same level of stylistic quality as his high-end line, but at a more accessible price. The production of his work through film helped to publicize Armani's name, with a scene involving Gere yanking open a drawer of Armani shirts, perfectly folded with the labels exposed, before creating four entirely Armani outfits in the film. This connection to the film industry projected his name and brand to a much broader audience. Armani designed costumes for more than one hundred films, one of the most important of which was
The Untouchables (1987). In 1983, the designer modified his agreement with GFT. They began to produce both the Mani line for the United States and his high-end ready-to-wear line, rechristened Borgonuovo 21, after the address of the company headquarters. During the late 1980s, despite Galeotti's death in 1985, Armani continued to expand commercial horizons and licensing agreements. He opened Armani Japan and introduced a line of eyeglasses, socks, a gift collection and a new "basic" men's and women's line for America known as A/X Armani Exchange in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, his long-time friend, the singer
Eric Clapton composed songs for Armani's fashion shows and has since dressed in Armani. Later that year, Clapton opened two
Emporio Armani stores in
New York City. In 1998, Armani hosted a party for Clapton's Crossroads guitar auction. The
Oxford Art Journal made note in their article, "Hermes in Asia: Haute Couture, High Art and the Marketplace", that Armani took influences from other cultures as inspiration for some of his works and cited his Japanese designs as examples. Armani also prepared to break into the Chinese market by opening up his first store in that country in 1998. A small shop in Beijing was followed by a flagship store in Shanghai in 2004 and plans for 40 by 2011. In 2000, Armani SpA was introducing new lines of cosmetics and home furnishings and expanding its line of accessories.
2008–2025: later career In 2007, Armani became the first designer to ban models with a
body mass index (BMI) under 18, after model
Ana Carolina Reston starved herself to death due to
anorexia nervosa. He broadcast his collection live on the Internet, the first in the world of
haute couture, on 24 January 2007. The Armani Privé Spring/Summer 2007 fashion show was broadcast via
MSN and
Cingular cellular phones. In 2008, Armani designed a bullfighting costume entitled the "Goyesco" that was worn by Spanish bullfighter
Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez at the "Corrida Goyesca" in
Ronda, Spain. They also collaborated on several fashion shows and other events. Starting in 2009, Armani had a retail network of 60 Giorgio Armani boutiques, 11
Collezioni, 122
Emporio Armani, 94
A/X Armani Exchange, 1
Giorgio Armani Accessori and 13
Armani Junior stores spread over 37 countries. In 2015, Armani was an artist who was a part of the Paris Photography Public Programme. This event helped showcase a variety of special exhibitions. As an official partner, Armani's ACQUA #6, represented works that focus on the theme of water in photography. As of 2017, he had an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a personal fortune of $8.1 billion. In 2019, he introduced his first fine jewellery collection during Haute Couture Week in Paris. The 2022 "Josephine" collection, inspired by
Joséphine de Beauharnais, incorporated paisley motifs with chalcedony and grey diamonds. His fine jewelry has since been worn by celebrities, including
Sophia Loren,
Brie Larson, and
Brooke Shields, at high-profile events. Armani designed many stage outfits for pop superstar
Lady Gaga, including those worn on her record-breaking
Monster Ball Tour and
Born This Way Ball Tour. He also designed for many high-profile award shows, such as the
52nd Grammy Awards and the
2010 MTV Video Music Awards. == Other activities ==