RIP Georgio Armani -

 Via Zartonk Media

Fashion Legend Giorgio Armani, of Armenian Descent, Passes Away in Milan at 91

Giorgio Armani, the legendary Italian designer who dressed the powerful and famous from the boardroom to Hollywood, passed away at the age of 91 on September 4, 2025. His fashion house announced that he passed away peacefully at home in Milan, “surrounded by his loved ones.” Indefatigable to the end, Armani worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, its collections, and future projects.

One of the most recognizable names and faces in global fashion, Armani turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar empire. From the executive office to the red carpet, he became synonymous with sleek tailoring and timeless glamour. His relaxed silhouettes, supersoft fabrics, and muted tones defined Italian ready-to-wear in the late 1970s and carried his name into the wardrobes of presidents, CEOs, and Hollywood’s brightest stars. On award season red carpets, Armani’s tuxedos and gowns often stole the show.

Though celebrated as the epitome of Italian style, Armani’s family heritage bore Armenian roots. According to the Armenian Mirror Spectator, his father, Ugo, descended from those who fled the Ottoman Empire during the 1915 Armenian Genocide before settling in Italy, while his mother, Maria Raimondi, was Italian. Armani himself rarely spoke publicly about this background, but several fashion historians and Armenian sources have highlighted this poignant lineage.

Armani honored his Armenian roots in his Spring/Summer 2022 collection Métissage (“crossbreeding”), a show inspired by Armenia. The collection featured Armenian-inspired designs, nomadic motifs, nautical rope belts, balloon trousers in flowing silk, and ethereal evening gowns in lilac, silver, pink, and purple. Accessories such as large totes and crocheted shoulder bags also nodded to journeys and exploration. As the Mirror Spectator noted, the show symbolized both Armani’s creative breadth and his connection to his Armenian heritage.

Born in Piacenza in 1934, Armani first aspired to become a doctor but joined the army, where he was transferred to Verona due to his medical background. After that experience, he chose a different path, working as a window dresser in Milan before designing menswear for Nino Cerruti in the 1960s. In 1973, encouraged by his partner and collaborator Sergio Galeotti, he opened a design office in Milan, freelancing for top brands. Two years later in 1975, the pair founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A., where Armani presented his first men’s ready-to-wear collection under his own name, along with a women’s line for the same season.

Over the next five decades, he built one of the largest privately owned fashion empires in the world, encompassing clothing, accessories, fragrances, hotels, and home furnishings. At the time of his death, Armani’s fortune was estimated at over $10 billion, ranking him among the world’s top 200 billionaires.

Tributes poured in from across the globe. Donatella Versace called him “a giant who made history.” Julia Roberts, who famously wore an oversized Armani suit to the 1990 Golden Globes, remembered him as “a true friend. A Legend.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised him as “a symbol of the best Italy,” recalling his elegance, sobriety, and creativity.

Known affectionately as “Re Giorgio” (King Giorgio), Armani remained proudly independent, guiding his house for 50 years. His passing marks the end of an era. Today, he is remembered not only as a pioneer of global fashion, but also as a designer whose quiet acknowledgment of his Armenian roots linked him to a people whose resilience has left a mark on history

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The biography of Georgio Armani via Wikipedia

https://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Armani

Giorgio Armani

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Giorgio Armani
Birthplace	Piacenza
+− Leaflet | © OpenStreetMap contributors
Birth date	11 July 1934
Lived in	Piacenza, Milan, Verona
Languages	Italian
Ethnicities	Armenian, Italian
Partners	Sergio Galeotti

Armani was born in the northern Italian town of Piacenza, where he was raised with his older brother Sergio and younger sister Rosanna by his mother Maria Raimondi and father Ugo Armani (an accountant for a transport company). Armani’s father, an Armenian, had fled the Ottoman Empire in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide.

He has some relatives in the United States, a cousin, the grandson of an Armenian half brother of Ugo, Eric Haber in the United States who is known as “Gio Armani.”

Giorgio Armani traces his roots for SS22

Through Armenian tropes, the designer unpacks a little-known fact about himself in a collection pointed towards movement.

Words: TJ Sidhu 27th September 2021

Giorgio Armani SS22 was an all smiles affair. No, really – the models were actually smiling as they paced the runway one after another. It’s a rarity in the world of Big Fashion, but given that the Italian brand was showing at Milan​’s historic Via Borgonuovo 21 for the first time in 20 years, perhaps there was something in the air… and not just the smell of a sweet, sweet comeback. The venue, which acts as Armani HQ, has been the backdrop for some of the label’s most memorable shows and the result was a suitable return to a house known not only for ultra sex, but core family values.

The collection, titled Métissage (crossbreeding), was a journey through Armenia. A few years ago, it was reported as a little-known fact that Giorgio Armani, quintessentially Italian, had a connection to the Middle Eastern country through his parents, who fled the Ottoman Empire to Italy in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide. Rarely giving interviews, the designer is notoriously tight-lipped on his personal life. And so the collection looks at nomadic tropes with clothes fit for exploring far-and-wide: nautical rope tied around waists and loose silk making up balloon trousers.

Movement was an ongoing theme, with flat shoes worn for comfort, either open-toed or laced around the foot for support. Jackets were super soft, open and elongated in the middle and, unlike the big trews, tops were small, compact, with thoughtful cut-outs added here and there for some light relief in the sun. Accessories, too, nodded to travel: large totes and crocheted shoulder bags for packing essentials.

Following the light nature of the collection, evening wear was made mostly using tulle: frothy, seemingly weightless gowns in a somewhat fairytale colour code; pinks, silvers, purples and lilacs layered and melting on the skin, with delicate embroidery scattered throughout like a balmy holiday night sky. Ahhh.

Source: https://theface.com/style/giorgio-armani-ss22-milan-fashion-week-womenswear-style

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Information via Zareh Gurunlian:

Giorgio Armani, the Italian fashion designer, has passed away at the age of 91. Hailing from a modest family of Armenian descent who fled the 1915 genocide before settling in Italy, Armani paid tribute to his Armenian roots in his Metessage Spring/Summer 2022 collection, which featured models inspired by Armenian culture. Armani was born on July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy, to a modest family of Armenian descent, and left an indelible mark on the world of fashion. Armani, who founded his own label in 1975, became one of the world's most prominent fashion designers, known for his creations in haute couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, fragrances, jewelry, and interior design. Armani helped define the concept of elegance and beauty in fashion, and his designs had a significant impact on the global fashion industry