All of the business degrees and corporate handbooks in the world can’t teach the gut-centric prescience that has propelled Giorgio Armani’s success across a dizzying array of mediums. Among the many examples of this sixth sense, consider this year’s 20th anniversary of his shelter label Armani/Casa.
Although he didn’t formally establish the interiors arm of his company until 2000, Armani designed his first piece for the home, the sharply silhouetted Logo lamp, in 1982—just seven years after founding his ready-to-wear label and long before many of his fashion colleagues delved into the domestic sphere. “It represents my first foray into a world I’ve always found fascinating,” says Armani of the lamp. “With its pure, geometric shape, it embodies the key elements of my design philosophy.”
That signature aesthetic—coolly elegant, minimal, and luxurious—is now spread across countless categories, including wallpaper, textiles, furniture, and even kitchen systems; the collection is available in 42 stores in 29 countries. There is also an Armani/Casa Design Studio, which creates custom interiors for private clients.
The studio is responsible for the design of Armani Hotels—the first one opened in Dubai in 2010—and Armani Residences, the most recent of which debuted in Miami in March. It will have a sibling in 2023, when the New York City Armani flagship on Madison Avenue is slated to be transformed into a hybrid store and residences.
Such an expansive vision of design and brand building is in keeping with Armani’s far-reaching worldview. “I believe that good taste is not the prerogative of a country, a culture, or a specific age,” the designer says. “There are no geographical or cultural borders dictating what can ignite one’s curiosity.”
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