Giorgio: The creation and innovation of the fashion industry of the king of clothing

Italians have an undoubted love for Giorgio. Each Italian person has (or should have) at least one Armani (ARMANI). They talked about Armani as if they were talking about a king with a broad mass base.

But for a new generation of fashion designers, Armani may seem overly traditional and conservative. Critics say you can't tell what a big difference it is between today's Armani and 20 years ago. But if we simply define "fashion" as something new, perhaps Armani's entire career is against "fashion." What he insists on is that it maintains a deliberate "continuum of consistency" that others seem to believe. All his aesthetic is contained therein.

The criticism of Armani's business has been hard to influence, with more and more people entering 650 stores in 46 countries around the world to buy everything about Armani. His company set a total global operating income of 1.59 billion euros in 2010. This vast fashion empire now embraces almost everything in our daily lives. He is trying to use his aesthetic to build our way of life.

At the flagship store at 31st Milanmanzoni Avenue, you can see clothing accessories for spectacles, jewelry, perfume, household items, and even a bookstore. The top floor of the building is a hotel, the world's second Armani-style hotel (the first opened in Dubai).

Armani told me that the key to the hotel's appeal was the atmosphere. When you get home, it's interesting to remember the atmosphere.

"He was born to do this."

Last summer, I saw Armani several times in Milan. One of them was an encounter at the Nobu restaurant in Milan. He was wearing a midnight blue T-shirt (supposedly exclusively midnight blue T-shirt in his closet, exclusively beige or black trousers). His hair was silvery white, his skin was healthy and dark, and his thin face could still see the very handsome face of his youth. He is 77 years old, but a tight T-shirt is still wrapped in a strong figure, but a little short, that may be his biggest annoyance for many years. In Italy, Armani is a treasure-class figure. This is partly the result of the business empire that Armani built around the world. But more importantly, he designed a series of costumes in the 70 's, triggering a far-reaching industry revolution.

Originally let Armani a shot and red, he designed the men's series. After the body liberation movement of the 60 's, Armani brought the essence into fashion. He took away the skeleton of the traditional men's clothing, removed the lining, moved the buttons, changed the ratio of the shirt lapel, softened the shoulders like magic, and took out a new and comfortable coat. He said: "Why the clothes of the past must make people wear uncomfortable?" like a suit of armor. Then he picks up the scissors and changes everything.

But he was not a man to go to extremes. His aesthetic from beginning to end is to maintain a balance between tradition and breakthrough, to create an attempt to make all parties satisfied with the results. That is why he abandoned the 60 's turbulent hippie-style trend, which is another extreme, casual style, not formal. He tried to make his design both nostalgic and innovative. They look elegant, stylish and comfortable.

Armani's aesthetic may come from his mother. He was born in 1934 in Piacenza, near Milan. It was the climax of Mussolini's fascist dictatorship, and Italy was embroiled in World War Ii. Armani's two friends died in the bombing. After the war, Armani also suffered a serious injury. He almost lost his eyes and had to stay in a dark room for 20 days.

The injury may have affected Armani's life. He once described to me those memories: "The tension permeates for four weeks, trying to stay away from danger and fighting for survival every day." But his mother tried not to let the family fall into a spiral of fear. She made clothes out of khakis, those little shirts and shorts, so that Armani never threw a face in front of a friend. Mother always wears her own clothes. Those garments maintain a simple dignity and elegance, "always very special".

The parents initially expected Armani to become a doctor. He enrolled at the University of Milan Medical School, but in the third year, the study was interrupted by military service. After 1.5, he left the army and dropped out of medical school. 1957, Armani gets a job opportunity in Italy's largest department store

Rinascente is in charge of the window display. 5 years later, he switched to Nino Cerruti's company and became a costume designer. Cerruti was the most influential man at the time in Italian menswear designers. Armani worked there for six years, "I've learned a lot, especially the special qualities that every fabric shows."

One extreme, then one extreme.

On a holiday on the west coast of Italy, Armani met Sergio Galeotti. He was a young architectural painter, tall and straight, witty and talkative. This meeting completely changed their lives. The cheerful side of Galeotti's character just makes up for Armani's introversion. "We are very close partners. He said to me later, "It wasn't as open as it is now." Some people will attack us. But Galeotti is very important to me, he found my talent, gave me strength. ”

The younger Galeotti seems to think Armani is too cautious and strongly encourages him to start his own brand. Armani resigned as a freelance designer in 1970. 5 years later, they took out all their savings, sold their beloved beetle cars and created the Giorgio Armani brand. The office was in a basement in Milan, and it was not long before the Italian critics realized that a talented designer had been born. Armani liberated the shackles of traditional men's clothing. He stressed that "clothes are for the public to wear" which made him very successful in the market. The company employees become 4, then 6, then more.

In 1976, the owner of the Barnes boutique in New York took a fancy to Armani's menswear design. He introduced Armani for the first time to the United States. Other department stores in New York are also on the bandwagon. Americans quickly fell in love with the elegance and comfort of Giorgio Armani, as well as the quiet sexiness of his design. This year, the 42-year-old Armani began to gain a foothold in the United States.

The United States has opened up a whole new situation for Armani. His luck was surprisingly good, just in time for the rise of the feminist movement in the 70 's. He designed the ladies simple and elegant, not too much decoration. "You can get more attention when you are in an office meeting," he said. "I want women to wear masculine coats, like men, but to maintain some feminine qualities," he said. ”

Women all over the world put on Armani coats, they can walk with their shoulders, and even legs them comfortably. These changes are undoubtedly revolutionary. It is said that Armani brings a gentle man, but gives women strength.

In the 1980, Hollywood pushed Armani to the extreme. Director Paul Schlader invited him to design costumes for a whole film, which is hit's "American Dancer." Gere plays a fashionable, somewhat narcissistic male prostitute, and intuitively perceives the insecurities of the Times. He was armed with Armani's free-flowing clothes from head to toe and looked confident. There was a scene where he opened the closet and walked around comfortably, putting a Armani shirt and tie coat one by one on the bed. It was later commented that the lifeless display on the bed was almost a film feast with a touch of excitement. In the end, Armani's costume almost became the second leading actor in the film.

There's only one "Mr. Armani" in the world.

The success of Hollywood has brought an enormous advertising effect to Armani. The company's performance increased rapidly. He opened his first store in Milan in 1981, and in the same year he created Emporio Armani, the mid-range brand. The following year, after Christian Dior, he became the second fashion designer to board the cover of Time magazine. Everything was moving forward satisfactorily, but no one expected his closest partner, Galeotti, to die of a heart attack in 1985 (Galeotti has been suffering from leukemia for years). It was a very difficult time, and two people were exhausted from the illness that lasted for a year. Armani once said to me, "I'm going to put everything in front of Galeotti." I don't know how I spent that time. ”

Losing Galeotti is also a heavy blow to the company. Many people think that Armani may be in the dust and worry about whether the company will continue to develop. But Armani soon showed the other side of his costume designer, a successful businessman. In the more than 20 years since the death of Galeotti, Armani has continued to build the dreams of two of them, insisting on the independent identity of the family business and refusing to be acquired. As more and more Italian clothing brands take the initiative (or forced) into the arms of the international luxury group, Armani insists he has a greater reputation.

He said to me, "I've actually done a lot of things, I'm the manager, I'm the designer, I'm also responsible for branding." I hope my successor is very enthusiastic and can replace me at the staff meeting to tell people what to do as I do now. He paused, still not giving a name, and went on, "Of course, it was a wonderful expectation." ”

His good hopes include a film. He has dreamed of becoming a director for many years. "Whenever I do a fashion show or promotional event, I feel a bit like making a movie." He said, "but it was just a dream." ”

In Milan, I have seen two Armani fashion shows. About 15 minutes of show, always sounded 3 applause. I was told that it was only in Armani's show that I could hear so much applause no matter what he showed on the runway, where he appeared, there would be applause.

The world calls him Mr. Armani, but the question arises: will there be another Mr. Armani after Armani? If the answer is no, then the future of this personal, dense kingdom becomes worrisome.