MerkItalian
Armani
1 actieve items
Giorgio Armani S.p.A. was founded in Milan in 1975 by Giorgio Armani and business partner Sergio Galeotti. Armani had come to fashion through an unconventional route, a brief period studying medicine, followed by work as a window dresser and sales clerk at La Rinascente in Milan, then years designing menswear for Nino Cerruti while freelancing for several other manufacturers. His debut collection under his own name, men's ready-to-wear for spring-summer 1976, introduced what would become a defining signature: the deconstructed jacket, stripped of its internal padding, shoulder reinforcements, and rigid interlinings, producing a silhouette that moved with the body rather than against it.
The concept had a practical and aesthetic precision that suited the decade. Women's tailoring followed quickly, and the Armani jacket, wearable across gender, occasion, and culture, became one of the most copied garments in fashion history. The 1980 film "American Gigolo," for which Armani dressed Richard Gere, marked the point at which the brand crossed from trade circles into mass cultural awareness. From that moment the relationship between Armani and Hollywood became structural: his designs appeared at the Oscars year after year, and he went on to create costumes for over 100 films.
The 1980s brought rapid brand expansion. Emporio Armani launched in 1981 as a more accessible diffusion line aimed at younger consumers, followed by Armani Jeans and Armani Junior. In 1991, AX Armani Exchange arrived as a casual, American-market line targeting an even broader demographic. The portfolio grew further to encompass cosmetics, fragrances, eyewear, home furnishings, hotels, and restaurants, transforming what began as a tailoring house into a full lifestyle corporation generating over two billion euros annually by the 2020s.
Giorgio Armani remained sole owner and creative director until his death on 4 September 2025 in Milan, at the age of 91, an almost unprecedented instance of a major fashion house remaining independent and founder-led across five decades. His two final wills, released shortly after his death, directed that an Armani Foundation would oversee the group, with instructions to sell an initial 15% minority stake to a major luxury conglomerate.
At Nordic auction, the Armani lots recorded on Auctionist, 80 items spread across Kolonn (11), Helsingborg (11), and Crafoord (7), sit squarely in the pre-owned accessories and fashion category. Price levels are modest, with a top sale of 1,510 SEK, reflecting that items at Swedish regional auction typically consist of Emporio Armani and AX pieces, ties, sunglasses, and accessories rather than mainline tailoring. The pre-owned market for Armani globally is active and growing, with platforms such as The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective handling significant volume, particularly for 1980s and 1990s blazers among younger buyers drawn to both the quality and the sustainability argument.