Recently, while going through my stash of magazine clippings, I came across Richard Gere, clad in a mismatched suit and gazing smoulderingly into oblivion, in a poster of 1980s movie American Gigolo. Aside from the intense Richard Gere, after all the years since the movie came out, I find myself able to recall only one other thing about it: Gere’s baggy Giorgio Armani suits.

To be honest, I remember the suits less for their style and more because they were Giorgio Armani. And that’s how visible the brand is, that someone who doesn’t religiously follow fashion would instantly recall it if asked to name one iconic fashion brand. “Giorgio Armani has long transcended fashion and is part of a lexicon that straddles cultures and continents,” says Che Kurrien, Editor of men’s fashion magazine GQ India.

Something for everyone

More than $8 billion worth of Armani products were sold around the world in 2010 and the company clocked an annual turnover of $1.6 billion as of 2013, with Giorgio Armani’s personal fortune nudging $8.5 billion, according to a feature in Forbes. Today, he is considered one of Italy’s most successful designers. “Armani was also one of the first designers to embrace and harness the power of celebrity, becoming a global icon in the process,” Kurrien adds.

Founded by Giorgio Armani, Giorgio Armani SpA is an Italian fashion house which designs, distributes, manufactures, and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, jewellery, accessories, eyewear, cosmetics, shoes, watches, and home interiors. “His victory lies in his offerings, he has something for everybody, from Armani Prive (haute couture or high fashion) to Emporio Armani (ready-to-wear), and EA7 (sportswear) to Armani Exchange,” says Asmita Aggarwal, Consulting Editor of women’s fashion magazine L’Officiel.

Growth trajectory

The brand’s growth story goes beyond luxury clothing and accessories; it seems to have a finger in every pie. While its fashion line was conceived of with the affluent in mind, the introduction of its ready-to-wear labels Emporio Armani, and Exchange tried to make fashion more accessible. Through Armani Casa (home, in Italian) — a high-end collection featuring furniture, light fittings, linens and dining essentials — the brand ventured into home décor. The beauty brand by Giorgio Armani featuring makeup, skin care, perfumes and colognes is produced and distributed by the luxury division of L’Oreal. Throughout the world, the brand has 14 Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans cafes. It has also invested in the fine dining industry and boasts two restaurants: NoBu and Prive and a confectionery company known as Armani Dolci. It also has a bookshop, Armani Libri, and a florist, Armani Fiori, under the Giorgio Armani name.

Armani life

In 2005, Giorgio Armani and Emaar Properties signed an agreement for Emaar Hotels to build and operate around seven luxury hotels and three vacation resorts under the Giorgio Armani name. One of these hotels is located in Dubai. The bottom 39 floors of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai house an Armani Hotel. It has 160 guest rooms and suites, and 144 residences.

Likewise, in 2012, promoted by the Lodha Group, the ₹2,000-crore World One project, coming up in Central Mumbai, was launched. It will have apartments and villas designed by the Giorgio Armani, with a price range of ₹7.5 crore to ₹50 crore.

In 2009, Samsung joined Armani to design the Giorgio Armani phone. According to a feature in the Wall Street Journal, Giorgio Armani hasn’t designed for anyone else in more than 30 years and he owns 100 per cent of Giorgio Armani SpA.

“Armani is probably the only brand which has not been affected by the economic convulsions. He has diversified into hotels, restaurants, home furnishings, perfumes — even designing yachts — to create a whole design world beyond just clothes, turning his brand into an empire,” Aggarwal adds.

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