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Giorgio Armani, the celebrated Italian designer and one of the most recognisable names in fashion, is to miss his shows at Milan fashion week this weekend due to ill health, for the first time in the label’s history.
A statement released by the brand on Saturday morning said the 90-year-old designer was “recovering at home” and “will not be present at the two shows as he usually is”. According to la Repubblica, his absence comes after a brief stint in hospital.
Speaking to the Guardian in January, the man known in Italy as “Re Giorgio” (King George), said that “age is undoubtedly a factor to contend with”. While he would “continue as long as my health and energy permit”, he also said that “taking a step back in the near future [was] inevitable”.
Last year, the designer told the Corriere della Sera newspaper he planned to retire in the next few years regardless, but that the Armani brand would continue without him. In his first live show after the pandemic in 2021, Armani showed a scar from surgery to his arm that resulted from a fall during a visit to the cinema.
In the current fashion landscape, which is dominated by conglomerates such as LVMH and Kering, Armani is one of the few designers to remain the sole shareholder of his company while also overseeing every single collection produced in its 50-year history. A recent valuation by Forbes suggested the Armani group was worth £10bn.
The designer, who turns 91 next month, is widely credited with transforming stiff suiting for men, getting women into menswear and bringing Italian style to Hollywood. It is thought he is missing this weekend’s shows as a precautionary measure so he is able to attend the couture – or Privé – show next month in Paris.
One of the Milanese’s key contributions to high fashion has been his invention – and reinvention – of celebrity dressing, with Hollywood’s bold and beautiful, including Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie, all wearing his couture gowns on the red carpet.
Taking the requisite designer bow at the end of Saturday’s Emporio Armani show and Monday’s Giorgio Armani show will be Leo Dell’Orco, his collaborator and head of menswear design. The statement also confirmed that Armani had worked “with his usual dedication” on both collections, and that he planned to watch the shows.
As yet, there is no obvious heir to the Armani throne.
