Giorgio Armani, Iconic Fashion Designer, Dies at 91

Iconic fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died at 91.

The fashion house that bears his name announced on Thursday that he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

He had worked up until the final days of his long life, “dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects.”

His death came after he missed Milan Fashion Week for the first time in five decades.

Armani was born July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy, and grew up amid the tumult of WWII. He suffered burns as a child after discovering an unexploded artillery shell.

He first studied medicine ahead of a stint in the Italian army, but began would would become one of fashion’s most impactful careers as a clerk at a department store in Milan.

By the ’60s, armed with his newfound knowledge of textiles gained from his experience at the store, he joined Nino Cerruti, where he first designed menswear.

He collaborated with his romantic partner Sergio Galeotti and began an extensive freelancing period, building his reputation.

Giorgio Armani S.p.A. was founded in 1975 with Galeotti — the company recently celebrated its 50th anniversary — and Armani quickly became particularly known for his men’s ready-to-wear work.

Throughout the ’80s, Armani’s brand became a household name, propelled by the chic looks draped on Richard Gere in the box-office hit “American Gigolo” (1980) and by his fame for reinventing the suit. The term “power suit” was invented to describe menswear gifted by his magic construction.

So ubiquitous was his brand that in 1986 the group Pet Shop Boys referenced him in their song “Paninaro,” about designer-label obsession. “Armani, Armani, Ar-Ar-Armani” was all that needed to be said.

Equally famous for his designs for women, he dressed everyone from Sophia Loren to Julia Roberts to Lady Gaga, he dressed England’s national football team, and his company expanded to include everything from fragrances to sunglasses.

Armani’s work was often at the nexus between fashion and art, as evidenced by the Guggenheim’s showcasing of his work — the first time a living fashion designer had been so honored.

Along with art, he was also an industry leader in other ways, presenting the first collection of haute couture streamed live on the Internet in 2007, and taking a stand against underweight models.

By the 2000s, Armani was a billionaire — but one who never ceased working and pushing to achieve more. He announced at 90 he may retire within two to three years, but instead he worked until the end of his life.

Armani, who had come out as bisexual, acknowledged that Galeotti had been the love of his life. When Galeotti died of AIDS in 1985, Armani saw his inability to stop it as a personal failure.

He never went on the record about any other romantic entanglements, and was renowned for his air of mystery, even in a business filled with high-profile affairs and scandals.