Thanks to his contact on the inside, Armani was hired by La Rinascente as a window dresser. He was quickly promoted to a buyer for the department store thanks to his keen eye for style. Working in the men’s wear section, it was here that Armani gained his first valuable exposure to the world of fashion, making regular trips to London to seek out the latest trends. In the early 1960s, Armani crossed over to work for Nino Cerutti, an Italian fashion designer who was becoming well-established in the industry. Armani was hired to work as an assistant designer for Cerutti’s line of men’s wear, Hitman. Over the next decade, Armani continued to work for Cerutti, but due to the high demand for his skills, he also became a successful freelance designer. At one point, he was contributing fashions to ten different fashion houses at once, including some of the biggest names, such as Ungaro and Zegna.
A chance encounter in 1966 would set Armani down a new path. That was the year he met a young architect named Sergio Galeotti. Galeotti was eleven years younger than Armani, but recognized the talent in the young designer. He moved to Milan to be with Armani, all the while encouraging him to go off on his own and create his own collection rather than continue to design for others. In 1970, Armani finally left Cerruti. He continued chasing freelance work until 1974, when Galeotti’s words of encouragement seemed to finally pay off. That year, Armani and Galeotti decided to create their own company. With an initial investment of ten thousand dollars, which they had collected from the sale of their Volkswagen car, the two founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A.
Armani immediately set out to create a unique line of men’s wear. His first outfit would in fact become his signature piece – the “unconstructed” suit jacket. By removing the standard lining and padding that had previously always held jackets into their stiff form, Armani created a new, more fluid jacket that became wildly popular for both men and women. Over the next decade, Armani continued to design clothes that were neutral in color and often considered androgynous. However, as more and more women entered the workforce, Armani’s clothing began to appeal to a wider audience. Whereas his critics saw his designs as understated, his customers saw them as subtle and elegant. Armani’s success with his initial lines enabled the pair to expand the venture, launching a chain of Emporio Armani stores around the world. These retail outlets focused on ready-to-wear clothes for the younger customer, and also stocked Armani’s latest efforts in various other product areas, such as fragrances.
In 1985, at the age of 40, Galeotti died of AIDS. Speculation began to rise that Armani would soon retire. However, he chose to continue on, in memory of his partner. Armani stepped into the shoes of Galeotti, who had been in charge of the business side of the company, and continued to lead it to greater heights. Despite receiving offers to form joint partnerships with the likes of Louis Vuitton and Gucci, Armani has retained total control of his company. Today, the Armani brand has grown to include much more than just clothing. Under its eight main labels, the company manufactures cosmetics, fragrances, home interiors, jewelry, watches, and eyewear. In 2006, Forbes named Giorgio Armani the most successful Italian designer, with a personal net worth of $4.1 billion.