The last Giorgio Armani runway collection signed by the late designer himself and marking the 50th anniversary of his signature line was shown Sunday evening in the Brera Art Gallery in Milan.
As Associated Press (AP) reports, the gala black-tie event closed out Milan Fashion Week, and showcased more than 120 Armani looks and marking a historic moment in fashion. The late designer himself curated the show, featuring looks he created over the last half-century for an exhibition putting his sartorial creations in dialogue with Italian masterpieces.
Giorgio Armani died Sept. 4, just weeks before Milan Fashion Week and a series of events marking the 50th anniversary of the Giorgio Armani fashion house that he built to a global powerhouse. The runway event drew in major fashion VIPs and celebrities from across the globe, all vying for a seat to pay tribute to Armani for his key role in helping putting Milan at the center of global fashion.
The Armani empire was worth about 10 billion euros (nearly $12 billion) at the time of his death. His will stipulated that his heirs should sell an initial 15% stake of the business, which includes the Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani lines as well as hotels and the home decor line Armani Casa, within three years of his death.
The buyer must have expertise in the fashion world, and Armani expressed a preference for the LVMH French fashion conglomerate, the L’Oreal beauty company or EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear company of which Armani owned a 2% stake.
Prior to Sunday’s runway show/celebration, more than 15,000 people showed up to pay tribute to Armani during an open viewing inside his Milan showroom. Fashion week has included tributes to Armani for his legacy in shaping Italian fashion, in particular from smaller fashion houses like Stella Jean and Francesca Liberatore.
The runway show was a fitting way to pay tribute to and signify a final farewell to a fashion legend.
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