Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan in 1975 by the designer Giorgio Armani and his business partner Sergio Galeotti [3]. Built on a style the company describes as essential, modern and unostentatious, the house grew from tailored menswear into a broad group spanning ready-to-wear, accessories and a beauty and fragrance division that today reaches more than 100 countries.

The brand's beauty and fragrance lines — the part of the business most familiar to perfume and makeup shoppers — are produced under a long-running license held by L'Oréal Luxe. Its founder died in September 2025 at the age of 91; the house remains fully active, with its ownership passing to the Giorgio Armani Foundation and named family heirs under a succession plan he set out before his death.

Giorgio Armani trained in medicine at the University of Milan for three years before leaving to work in fashion, including a formative period with the house Cerruti 1881. He established Giorgio Armani S.p.A. on 24 July 1975 together with Sergio Galeotti, who was both his life and business partner, and the label launched menswear and womenswear collections soon after [3]. Galeotti died of an AIDS-related illness in 1985, after which Armani took on full leadership of the company's business as well as its design [7].

Over the following decades the designer became closely associated with deconstructed, minimalist tailoring, and his suiting drew steady attention from Hollywood — the New York Times described him as "Fashion's Master of the Power Suit." His costumes for the 1980 film American Gigolo helped establish that connection, and figures including Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio later wore his designs on screen and on the red carpet.

The fashion business is controlled by the Giorgio Armani Foundation, established in 2016 to safeguard the governance of the Armani Group [3]. Following the founder's death, the Foundation holds a controlling 85% stake, while the succession plan provides for the sale of an initial 15% minority stake, with priority given to LVMH, EssilorLuxottica or L'Oréal [8]. To preserve continuity, the founder's instructions bar major moves such as an IPO or large acquisitions for five years after his death [8].

The beauty and fragrance arm operates separately, under a license with L'Oréal. Sources differ on when this relationship began: Wikipedia dates the initial licensing agreement to 1980, while trade coverage from WWD and BeautyMatter places the operational launch of Armani Beauty in 1988 [3][6]. In March 2018, L'Oréal and Armani renewed the beauty license through 2050; at the time, the lines were reported to generate revenues of over one billion euros a year [5].

Armani's company bylaws require the house to pursue an "essential, modern, elegant and unostentatious style" with attention to detail and wearability. That outlook extended to the beauty range. "I believe that beauty comes from within," the founder said. "My creations are not made to disguise or hide an individual's personality, but to reveal it." The house positions itself in the luxury tier and addresses an audience drawn to understated elegance rather than overt display.

The beauty division is organised around fragrance, makeup and skincare. In fragrance, Acqua di Giò, launched in 1996, is described by BeautyMatter as remaining among the top-selling men's scents, while Sì, introduced in 2013, grew into a major franchise of its own [6]. The skincare offer centres on the Crema Nera anti-aging collection.

In makeup, the Luminous Silk Foundation, launched in 2000, is characterised by BeautyMatter as one of the most influential complexion products of the past 25 years [6]; Lip Maestro sits among the line's other established franchises. The company has also pursued sustainability initiatives within the range, citing refillable packaging and recyclable materials, and says its My Way fragrance was carbon-neutral from launch. Separately, its Acqua for Life programme has, by the company's account, invested 15 million euros to provide clean water to more than 590,000 people across 23 countries [6].

In 2007, Armani became the first major designer to ban models with a body mass index under 18 from runway shows [3]. The move was debated within the fashion industry but was widely received as a positive precedent for health standards on the runway.

The brand is active. Giorgio Armani died on 4 September 2025 in Milan at the age of 91, in the same year the house marked its 50th anniversary [7]. Control passed to the Giorgio Armani Foundation alongside named heirs — his sister Rosanna, two nieces, a nephew, and his longtime collaborator Leo Dell'Orco [8]. The fashion line continues to release seasonal collections, including its Spring/Summer 2026 range, and the beauty business remains in market under the L'Oréal Luxe license that runs through 2050.