Jewel & Jewel

Giorgio Armani (born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He formed his company, Armani, in 1974, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.691 billion, and a personal fortune of $4.1 billion.

Giorgio Armani was born in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna. He originally trained in medicine, but found his passion in photography, before being called up for national service in 1957. He then worked in a department store, La Rinascente, as a window dresser. From 1961 to 1970, Armani worked as a designer in well-known fashion house Nino Cerruti, after which he left to pursue freelance work. In 1974, with his partner Sergio Galeotti, he established Armani with a menswear label, introducing a womenswear line in 1975. His sister Rosanna Armani joined him in the company; Galeotti died of AIDS in 1985.

Giorgio Armani has a keen interest in sport; he is an acknowledged fan of Inter Milan, a president of the Milan basketball team, and has twice designed the “off-field” outfits for the England national football team.

He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He achieved his international breakthrough by tailoring for numerous Hollywood names and especially for Richard Gere in the title role of American Gigolo in 1980. Armani was also noted for building a mansion on the Caribbean island of Antigua, and being among the first designers to ban models with a body mass index (BMI) under 18 (the minimum healthy BMI), after model Ana Carolina Reston starved herself to death due to anorexia nervosa. In January 2007 Armani has become the first designer to broadcast a haute couture fashion show live on the Internet. The haute couture Armani Prive spring/summer 2007 fashion show was broadcast via Microsoft Corporation’s MSN and Cingular cellular phones.

In 2001, Forbes named Giorgio Armani the most successful Italian designer, estimating his net worth at $1.7 billion. The following year he was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.