If you were to ask anyone to name a single country which epitomises fashion and style no doubt the majority would name Italy. Italy has long been known as the fashion capital of the world. Some of the most amazing fashion designers, who make women feel stylish, beautiful and above all confident, have come out of Italy.

Most Italian women no matter what age seem to have a natural sense of style and flair. Look at your mother or grandmother; it doesn’t necessarily cost them the earth to look good, but they have a sense pride, which encourages them to look after their appearance as well as looking after a family.

Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Prada, Moschino to name a few. Let’s be proud. The best designers in the world are Italian and are there to be celebrated!
Giorgio Armani. What comes into your mind when you say his name? Could it be an unrivalled sense of style and class, a vision of beautiful women adorning his designs? The smell of the many perfumes and aftershaves which carry his name?

Giorgio Armani is more than just a designer, he is a fashion icon. He is recognized all over the world and is a multi billion-dollar brand. Armani was born in Piacenza in 1934 and actually started off his further education in the field of medicine! He then went on to complete his national service.

After working as a buyer in a Milanese department store La Rinascente, he got his first break when he was approached by Nino Cerruti to design a menswear line, Hitman. He continued to work as a successful freelance designer but in 1975 the Giorgio Armani label was set up. Armani’s signature unstructured jackets for both men and women were seen as a new edgy, un-stuffy way of tailoring and his name was well and truly put on the fashion map! Armani’s palette of neutral beiges and grey’s were classy and new, relaxed and above all modern and refreshing.

Richard Gere’s suits in American Gigolo (1980) were a landmark for the designer. One of Armani’s designs feature on the front cover of Time magazine in 1982 and this heralded the ascent of the now ever popular designer. The brand itself now encompasses six major fashion lines and Armani has since diversified into other fields, bed linen, chocolates and even hotels! Armani has won countless awards including an Honorary Doctorate for the RCA in 1991. He also has a dedicated Hollywood following. In 2001 and 2006 Forbes named him the most successful Italian designer. In January 2005 an haute couture-like collection was launched in Paris, Giorgio Armani Prive.

Armani’s fortune is estimated at $4.1 billion. So next time you find yourself in Knightsbridge, go and check out one of Armani’s glorious designs or spray an Armani tester in the air and take a moment to absorb and admire the greatness of his achievements. The boy from Piacenza!