Life begins at 41; Giorgio Armani
Fashion & Innovation
Life is passing you by and you are wondering when the switch might happen for you. Is 20’s the best time to follow your passion? How about in your 30’s? If you are in your 40’s is it too late? Giorgio Armani did not think so. Not only was he from a medical line, but he was 41 when he started his label. Today, Giorgio Armani is worth over USD 8Billion.
Doesn’t matter where you start, what matters is where you are heading
Giorgio Armani was captivated with medicine at a young age, enrolling himself as a medical undergrad at the University of Milan. But shortly after 2 years, he was listed in the army and spend half a decade there.
In 1957, Giorgio Armani took his first role in what would be the start of an epic journey of a legend in the fashion industry, as a window dresser. He said in an interview with Business of Fashion “ I got into fashion almost by accident, and then it slowly grew in me until it completely absorbed me”. He explored other roles such as a salesperson in the menswear department and eventually became a menswear designer with Cerruti. Giorgio Armani expanded his freelance designs to various brands and the media caught wind of it.
It took Giorgio Armani 14 years of exploring, learning, and mastering the fashion industry before he founded, Giorgio Armani S.p. A., but Armani’s late start in fashion did not slow him down one bit. From suits, he expanded his line into lingerie, jeans, swimwear, accessories, perfumes, and even hotels. He was not afraid to be the first and a change maker. Armani was innovative in his ways. He made luxury brands that were tailored by orders, into mass-manufactured, ready-to-wear items. Armani was said to have invented the red carpet. With the adaptation of globalization in today’s era, a complete switch to digital media, Giorgio Armani says his secret to a long journey of success is to be continuously innovative.
To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani was always fond of the American way of a fashion business, where creativity and business were closely intertwined. He adapted this strategy into his brand. Back in the days, before social media existed, traditional media was powerful, but a stronger impact was being the designer for Hollywood blockbusters. And hence Armani made his first design for Richard Gere’s American Gigolo (1980) creating the wave of American celebrities for Giorgio Armani. However, Armani acknowledges that times have changed, as these days, the global fashion industry pays celebrities to wear their products. He however is against it as he wants people who endorse Giorgio Armani to love the brand, and not because they were paid to do it.
Today, Giorgio Armani is worth over $7 Billion. His collections average about $4k for suits and $2k for bags. With his fortune, he was quick to step in by donating 2 Million Euros to medical units while using his factories to produce overalls for front-liners.
According to an interview with Vogue, Armani says Covid has shown that people dress well with little, and fashion has to go back to its true purpose, which is what people like and wear, and not a spectacle. What’s next in line for Armani and his empire? He doesn’t say much, but after 46 years of building it, and at 86 years old, Giorgio Armani is still as pumped up.
Artisan Story is a passion project by Mestrae in reaching out to a wider community who loves fashion and technology. Mestrae believes that fashion has to evolve to remain relevant to today’s modern times and needs.