LGBTQ+ fashion designer Giorgio Armani has passed away. The 91-year-old died at his home on Thursday, September 4, surrounded by loved ones.
“With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” his fashion house said in a statement.
“Indefatigable to the end, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects.”
The statement continued, “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 direction.
“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,” it concluded.
A funeral chamber is being set up at the Armani Teatro in Milan between 9am and 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. This will be followed by a private ceremony on an unspecified date.
The news of Armani’s death comes after he did not appear at his runway shows in Milan for the first time ever in June. It was reported that he was recovering from an unknown illness at the time.
Giorgio Armani founded his fashion house in 1981, which has grown into a business that turns over approximately €2.3 billion a year. The designer is thought to be one of the richest LGBTQ+ people in the world, with his work expanding beyond clothes into home furnishings, perfumes, books, flowers, bars, clubs and restaurants.
While he kept his personal life private for many years, in 2024, he opened up about his romantic relationships, particularly with his business partner Sergio Galeotti. The pair dated for over a decade, before Galeotti passed away from an AIDS-related illness in 1985.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Armani recalled, “We met near the Capannina night club, in Versilia, where I was on holiday for a couple of days… I saw Sergio in his car and I immediately fell for his Tuscan smile.”
However, Armani has not been without controversy. In 2015, he made comments to Sunday Times Magazine about how he thinks gay men should dress.
“A homosexual man is a man 100%. He does not need to dress homosexual,” he said. “When homosexuality is exhibited to the extreme – to say, ‘Ah, you know I’m homosexual,’ – that has nothing to do with me. A man has to be a man.”
He additionally faced backlash in 2020 for diminishing sexual violence, after he claimed that women are “r*ped” by the fashion industry through short-lived trends and sex-driven marketing. In later years, his fashion house was also accused of subcontracting companies that exploited migrant workers. However, it later implemented the necessary organisational model and supplier control procedures.
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