The Clock Is Ticking on Armani’s Empire of Timeless Fashion

A few days after the death of Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld in February, Giorgio Armani summoned guests to his personal museum in Milan for his fall-winter collection runway show. At the former granary wrapped in stark concrete walls, he revealed the latest lineup of his softly tailored jackets, velvet bombers, and evening gowns to the friendly nods of magazine editors, department-store buyers, and celebrity clients such as Naomi Watts. At the finale, instead of his habitual quick bow and wave, Armani took the hand of a model and paraded the length of the catwalk. The crowd cheered in amazement. Perhaps a touch of sentiment in the wake of Lagerfeld’s passing contributed to the applause. Nevertheless, it was a thunderous exclamation that the 84-year-old Armani—the creative director, chief executive officer, and sole owner of his namesake company—remains a force to contend with and one of the last creative titans of the fashion industry.

“It was actually quite an emotional moment,” Armani, a cautious communicator who’s never mastered English, says in a written interview. His name is one of the world’s most recognizable brands: a sprawling fashion and lifestyle empire producing everything including red-carpet gowns, logo swim briefs, perfumes, eyeglasses, and sleek hotels dotted around the world. Armani’s aesthetic—streamlined but sensual, dressed-up and laid-back at the same time—has become shorthand for classic Italian elegance and luxury design. His savvy at exporting it to the world has helped him amass one of Italy’s biggest fortunes.