The Workaholic With A Secret Side
Hailed as the most successful Italian designer in history, Giorgio Armani reshaped the industry itself, but behind the flawless suits and polished runways was a man who guarded his private life with ferocity. Yet, as the years wore on, the cracks began to show. The older Armani grew, the more the mask of perfection slipped—often in the most shocking ways.
1. He Started At The Bottom
Born in the early 1930s to an accountant and stay-at-home mom, Giorgio Armani came from the most humble beginnings. He, his parents, and his two siblings didn’t have much growing up. And while growing up poor posed its own challenges, the entire world soon combusted in a way that made things even more difficult.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
2. He Survived A War
Armani and his family lived in Piacenza, Italy, during WWII. Looking back, he remembered going through many disturbing situations as a result. Once, he threw his sister into a pit and covered her with his own jacket when planes fired above them. In another instance, he suffered serious burns when a piece of artillery unexpectedly exploded on him.
But even in the midst of the misery, Armani made some special memories with his family, ones that proved more vital than he could’ve possibly imagined at the time.
Richard Opitz, Wikimedia Commons
3. His Mother Kept It Cute
Probably due to their lean finances, Armani’s mother made clothes for all three of her children. She proved so skilled that, despite their modest means, they “looked rich”. He ultimately grew to treasure the style and dignity both his parents exhibited. Even so, his initial career goals threatened to take him in the entirely opposite direction of where he ended up.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
4. He Wanted Something Different
Once he made it to secondary school, Armani made a pretty shocking decision. He decided he wanted to be a doctor. As such, he started studying medicine at the University of Milan in 1950. But after just about three years there, he made another drastic move—and it’s probably not what you think.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
5. He Served
In 1953, Giorgio Armani left medical school to join the military. While there, he used the medical skills he’d gained during his time at school. However, he didn’t stay there for long. After just another couple of years, Armani happened upon a job that changed his life forever.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
6. He Switched Things Up
It all started at a high-end department store in Milan, La Rinascente. Armani began working there in 1957, manning the sales desk and arranging the window displays. He moved around departments, learning about both the product and the marketing of fashion. He seemingly caught the official fashion bug during his time there, but things didn’t really start to change until he made some pretty unconventional choices.
Alan Denney, Wikimedia Commons
7. He Tore It Up
In the mid 1960s, Giorgio Armani landed the chance to work under Nino Cerruti, a well known Italian Fashion designer. This is where he really began to create his own personal style, which ultimately included practically tearing apart the traditional suit jacket. Eventually, he removed all the stiff, stuffy elements in a manner that ultimately made him iconic.
But before even that blew up, other people started seeing the glimmers of his brilliance and begging for more.
8. They Wanted Him
During this time, other manufacturers started to identify Armani’s skill for design. They hired him to create designs for their own companies, providing him with more avenues of making money and networking. But despite his quickly rising stardom, Armani still found time for romance, though even his romance wasn’t exempt from his ambition…
9. He Fell Hard
In 1966, Armani first met Sergio Galeotti, an Italian architect, at a resort in Tuscany. While the details of their meeting and relationship remain mostly under wraps, the two reportedly fell for one another hard. They began a romantic relationship that lasted decades, but the union was more than just summer loving. In fact, Sergio pushed Armani to make a move that changed the entire trajectory of his life.
10. Love Pushed Him
As the two men developed their relationship, Sergio grew more and more impressed with Armani’s talents. According to Armani, he saw even more in his talent than he himself recognized. Sergio pressed him to step out on faith and focus on creating his own label. But, of course, everything comes with a price.
11. He Gave It Up
Now in his 40s, it’s quite possible that Armani considered that a good portion of his life was behind him. But on his new beau’s advice, he sold his Volkswagen Beetle, and the two men used the money to launch the Armani label in July, 1975. Before long, Armani seemed to have the entire world eating out of the palm of his hands—for a while, anyway.
12. He Blew Up
Armani started seeing the fruits of his labor almost instantly. The fashion world loved his fresh take on the suit, and he used all the fashion and business acumen he’d received up to that point to his advantage. Just four years into the business, he sat comfortably as a rising name in international fashion. But he didn’t stop there. In fact, he found a way to bring his fashions to the world in a way they couldn’t forget.
Mondadori Portfolio, Getty Images
13. He Went Hollywood
In 1980, Giorgio Armani made a play for the big screen. The results blew everyone away. He did costuming for Richard Gere in American Gigolo, with one very memorable scene featuring a drawer full of Armani originals. The placement in the film not only made him a go-to for specialty costuming, but drew even more international attention to his designs.
And with that, Armani decided to crank things up a notch (or two or three!).
Paramount Pictures, American Gigolo (1980)
14. He Kept It Fresh
By the 1980s, Armani expanded his label to include a multitude of items and accessories, including perfume, swimwear, and even lines that made clothing that looked high fashion affordable for the more modest shopper. By all accounts, Armani was soaring at the very top of the fashion world.
Unfortunately for him, an unexpected tragedy soon brought him hurtling back to earth.
Zuska edit Bruce The Deus, Wikimedia Commons
15. He Lost Love
In 1985, Sergio passed. It all seemed so sudden, with emerging reports claiming a heart attack ended his life. And while later news challenged those facts (more on that later), Armani found himself with a huge hole in his life. He lost both a longtime love and trusted business partner in Sergio. And unfortunately for him, he also faced some unexpected responses from his team at the fashion label.
16. They Didn’t Believe In Him
Once Armani returned to work after Sergio passed, he made a startling discovery. His team didn’t believe in him. While he was no slouch in business, Sergio seemingly handled most of those affairs while Armani focused on the creative. Even worse, it turns out the naysayers weren’t just spreading rumors…
17. They Jumped Ship
Several employees left the company around that time, likely expecting the entire thing to tank without Sergio around. Armani found himself forced to learn new skills to keep the company afloat. And despite those who didn’t support him, he managed to not only maintain the business but to continue to expand it even further. Granted, another man who offered him a shoulder to cry on probably helped.
18. He Moved On
A few years after the label launched, a young Leo Dell'Orco began working at the label. But it wasn’t until after Sergio passed that the two became close. While many of the details of their union have also been kept private, the two began a romantic relationship that also doubled as a business relationship.
And considering what happened over the course of the next few years, it’s a good thing Armani found someone to lean on.
19. He Kept Going
In the mid 1990s, Armani suffered another devastating loss. This time, he lost his brother, also coincidentally named Sergio. Despite this loss, though, Armani never faltered in his work. In fact, it seemed Armani never stopped working, according to many reports. His perfectionist attitude kept him constantly on task, but perhaps that fueled his still growing success, as well as his ties with some other true superstars.
GianAngelo Pistoia, Wikimedia Commons
20. He Had Famous Friends
One of Armani’s good friends, Eric Clapton, did him a huge solid in 1996. He composed songs specifically for some of Armani’s fashion shows. Shortly after that, Clapton started popping up all over dressed in Armani. This further boosted Armani’s celebrity status. And as the turn of the millennia approached, Armani found himself higher than ever before. But, of course, even the best times can’t last forever.
21. He Got Suspicious
By now, you’re probably wondering how a now exceedingly wealthy man like Armani got through his life unscathed by scandal. Well, he didn’t. Some reports around him first started getting messy in 1999. That year, the Guggenheim museum hosted a special Armani display. At the time, no other museum had ever done that type of a thing for a living designer.
Reporters at the New York Times started asking some pretty pointed questions…
22. He Used His Money
After a little digging, the truth came out. The Guggenheim’s display came to fruition shortly after Armani became a major donor for the organization. According to the museum, that played no role in their decision to feature his work, but I’ll leave you to be the judge of that.
While people started to speculate about this seemingly perfect man, Armani continued to invest in his fortune, ultimately giving people all the more to speculate about.
23. He Went Bigger
Throughout the years, Armani made his money do much more than fashion. He invested in luxury properties like hotels, sponsored sports teams and headed up sports organizations, and even created a music label. But he cared about much more than money, so much so that he didn’t shy away from being the first in many areas, even when that meant making major waves in the world of beauty.
24. He Was Shook
In 2006, a shocking tragedy hit the world of couture fashion. Australian model Ana Carolina Reston Macan passed from complications due to an eating disorder. Reportedly, by the time she passed, she only ate apples and tomatoes, and she weighed a shocking 88 pounds. She wasn’t the first model to lose her life in such a manner, but Armani saw the tragedy as a call to make a bold new mandate.
25. He Changed The Playbook
After that tragedy, Armani completely banned models below a certain body mass index from walking his fashion shows. He was the first designer to ever do so. It seemed he hoped this would promote more healthy habits within the modeling industry, setting an example for others to follow.
Unsurprisingly, that wasn’t the only controversial space he decided to take a stand in.
26. He Went Green
In 2011, Giorgio Armani took a clear stance on protecting the environment by accepting the Green Carpet Challenge from activist Livia Giuggioli Firth. In another first among his fashion peers, he designed fashions from completely recycled materials, showing how designers could do their part to help preserve the earth. But he wasn’t all activism and good works. In some cases, he just ended up being the first to do something expected in a very unexpected place…
Daniele Venturelli, Getty Images
27. He Went Digital
Also in the 2000s, Armani became the first luxury designer to take his fashions to the world wide web. He did a live fashion show online in January 2007, taking his work to both computer and mobile phone users. By all accounts, it seemed Armani led a life well lived, and mostly devoid of scandal.
But judging by the circumstances to come, the way he did it ultimately proved unsustainable.
28. He Kept His Circle Small
By all accounts, Giorgio Armani lived his life very privately. He kept a tight circle of companions, and enjoyed spending time sailing or on his yacht. Even while away, though, he loved to stay busy with his work. He even said he’d sometimes want the weekends to go by faster so he could keep working. But that wasn’t the only way he kept it all together.
Emanuele Perrone, Getty Images
29. He Had An Iron Grip
Throughout his career, Armani proved extremely careful to maintain control of his company. While other fashion labels, like Prada, sold to the stock market, Armani refused. He even refused partnerships with partners like Gucci, preventing any incoming influences that might usurp his control. For the most part, this seemed to work. But when it didn’t, things went left fast.
Georges De Keerle/PP, Getty Images
30. He Got Shady
In the early to mid 2010s, Italian finance investigators made a shocking discovery. They found out that Armani’s company used a Swiss subsidiary to lighten his tax load. Armani eventually admitted his company had been underpaying, and the scrutiny forced him to raise his tax rate dramatically. But that was only the beginning of his costly reckoning.
CHRISTOPHE SIMON, Getty Images
31. He Paid Up
In 2014, Giorgio Armani had little choice but to pay up. He shelled out a staggering 270 million euros to settle with Italy’s tax authorities, joining fellow fashion giants like Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari, and Prada who faced similar scandals. The move was meant to clear his name and free his house from further probes. But, spoiler alert, even more financial issues soon came along to threaten his legacy.
Leonardo Cendamo, Getty Images
32. He Got In Deep
A decade after that massive tax settlement, Armani’s empire was rocked by fresh controversy. An Italian court placed one of his companies under judicial administration after allegations surfaced that it had indirectly subcontracted work to Chinese factories exploiting laborers. For a man obsessed with controlling every detail of his brand, this was a shocking blow.
But perhaps old age was changing him, considering some other things he started to let slip.
33. He Had Loose Lips
At the 2020 Milan Fashion Week, Armani made headlines with one of his bluntest statements ever. He started with, “I think it’s time for me to say what I think”. And went on to say that he felt most designers were fully assaulting women, only in much more “strong” language, so to speak.
The comment stunned the fashion world, and instantly sparked backlash.
34. He Cleared Things Up (Kind Of)
Giorgio Armani later explained that he hadn’t meant literal assault, but was condemning how fashion trends sexualized women. Still, the phrasing was so jarring that many struggled to accept his clarification. What he intended as a critique of the industry became one of the most controversial remarks of his career.
But perhaps he’d had enough of secrets, considering some other shocking truths that emerged late in his life, especially concerning his first long time lover, Sergio.
35. The Truth Came Out
Several years after the fact, the truth about how Sergio passed finally came to the light. While initial reports claimed he’d been taken by a heart attack, actual details revealed that he succumbed to AIDS. At the time he passed, the epidemic raged and carried dangerous stigmas, which explains why they kept it under wraps.
Probably even more heartbreaking, though, was Armani’s own take on the entire situation.
36. He Faltered
In the end, it seems Giorgio Armani somehow blamed himself for the loss of his lover and business partner. Although he never went into great detail about why, he ultimately called Galeotti’s passing “the greatest failure of his career”. Considering all that happened, it's clear their love ran deep—and, despite his new relationship, never really disappeared.
MARCO BERTORELLO, Getty Images
37. He Never Let It Go
Decades after the end, he admitted he still carried Galeotti’s photograph wherever he went, convinced his partner’s spirit lingered. “I see Sergio everywhere,” he reflected. "And I am sure he sees me. And I have hope that whatever I have done, he knows about it”.
Even despite his shifting temperament as he aged, Armani continued to tend to his brand. But he hadn’t seen the end of scandal.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Getty Images
38. He Took A Costly Blow
In August 2025, Italy’s Competition Authority hit the Giorgio Armani Group with a 3.5 million euro fine. They accused the company of making misleading claims about its ethics and social responsibility practices. As you probably expect by now, Armani didn’t take the accusation lying down.
CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT, Getty Images
39. They Fought Back
Armani’s team pushed back quickly and with force. They released a claim expressing “disappointment and bitterness” at the ruling, insisting the brand had always acted with fairness and transparency. But considering the timing, it’s possible they had ulterior motives…
Daniele Venturelli, Getty Images
40. They Ruined The Party
The fine couldn’t have come at a worse moment. Giorgio Armani was in the middle of celebrating its 50th anniversary, rolling out major events and products. Instead of basking in its $2.4 billion success, the house found its integrity under public attack. And unfortunately for them, it came on the heels of some concerning allegations.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Getty Images
41. They Were Watching
Just a year earlier, a Milan court placed Armani’s GA Operations arm under judicial administration over claims of unsafe working conditions. Though the order was later lifted, the new ruling dredged up the same concerns. Regulators accused Armani of using glossy statements to mask troubling labor practices. And when their full reports came out, it left the company reeling.
Giuseppe Cottini, Getty Images
42. It Looked Bad
Investigators cited a 2024 internal Armani document that painted a grim picture. Even in the “best” cases, conditions were “at the limit of acceptability”—in others, they were far worse. Reports described safety devices being removed from machines and hygiene standards falling below legal requirements.
In essence, the authorities argued Armani officials knew the risks but looked the other way. And just like that, the Armani legacy strained under the weight of its lies…
43. They Lied
For years, Armani’s branding leaned heavily on sustainability and “Made in Italy” prestige. But the regulators now claim that these values became little more than marketing tools to meet consumer demand. As such, Armani’s carefully crafted image has been rattled. And, as it turns out, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Jonakstudio, Wikimedia Commons
44. He Never Stopped
Even into his nineties, Armani refused to slow down. His company revealed that he was still deeply involved with collections and projects up until his final days. For him, fashion wasn’t just work—it was his life’s obsession. And ultimately, he lived and breathed his craft until the very end.
45. He Went Quietly
On September 4, 2025, Giorgio Armani passed at his home in Milan at 91 years old. The company confirmed his passing but gave no cause. And with that, an era of fashion seemingly came to an end. Despite all the controversy surrounding him late in life, Armani still left with an iconic story to his name and contributions.
46. He Got His Flowers
Across his long career, Armani collected some of the fashion world’s highest honors. He was recognized by Vogue as the “most successful Italian designer,” named by Time for changing the way people think about clothes, and celebrated with lifetime achievement awards.
His accolades reflected not just success, but cultural impact, and a life too great to be forgotten.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Getty Images
47. A Lasting Legacy
Armani revolutionized how the world dressed, softening stiff tailoring and making power suits a symbol of both elegance and empowerment. The BBC compared his influence to Coco Chanel, while Le Monde called him one of the last great makers of modern fashion. Truly, Armani’s legacy is one of timeless style, cultural power, and global influence.
Alessandra Brunhildmedia, Wikimedia Commons
