Legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who has died at the age of 91, built a multibillion-dollar fashion empire and was consistently ranked amongst the richest people in the world
Late fashion titan Giorgio Armani was one of the richest people on earth.
The legendary Italian fashion designer has sadly died at the age of 91, his company has said. The biggest stars on the planet wore his clothes, such as Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts.
In a statement on Thursday (September 4), the Armani Group said: “With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani.
“In this company, we have always felt like part of a family. Today, with deep emotion, we feel the void left by the one who founded and nurtured this family with vision, passion, and dedication.
“But it is precisely in his spirit that we, the employees and the family members who have always worked alongside Mr. Armani, commit to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility, and love.”
Armani was one of the most famous and influential designers of the late 20th century. He built a multibillion-dollar fashion empire in his name and it’s thought he was worth a whopping $12.1billion (£9bn) at the time of his passing.
It’s probably no surprise, then, that he was one of the wealthiest people on the planet. Armani had also been ranked as the “richest LGBTQ person in the world” on more than one occasion.
PayPal founder and Facebook investor Peter Thiel, who is gay, has also topped such lists, with a reported $16.3bn (£12.14bn). Armani had spoken openly about his sexuality and relationships with both men and women.
The iconic designer had a 99.9% stake in his fashion house, Armani, with the remaining 0.1% owned by the Giorgio Armani Foundation in Milan. His eponymous fashion company brought in more than £2bn a year.
He owned a 2% stake in eyewear company EssilorLuxottica, which was worth $3.2bn (£2.7b) when he died. Armani also had hundreds of millions of euros worth of property and a $29 million (£25b) yacht named Main.
But despite his historic feats in the fashion world, Armani didn’t originally plan on designing clothes. Born in the northern Italian city of Pacenza in 1934, he studied medicine for two years and initially wanted to become a doctor.
However, he would end up moving to Milan and working as a merchandiser and window dresser. He became a designer and ended up becoming the king of Italian fashion with a company that has since expanded into beauty, fragrances, homeware, luxury hotels and sport.
He revolutionised men’s and women’s suits and enjoyed a career spanning almost six decades. He continued working up until his death, directing a couture show in Paris, titled Noir Seduisant in July 2025, doing so remotely from his home in Milan due to illness.
Tributes have poured in for the fashion god, including from Vogue’s Laura Ingham. She wrote: “If you don’t know anything about fashion, you’ll still know Giorgio Armani. Mr. Armani built a house synonymous with timeless Italian elegance and enduring style”.
She described him as a “true gentleman” and a “titan of the industry. She concluded that “his legacy is woven not only into fashions past and present but will continue to shape its future for generations to come”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
