The Bite Magazine - Spring 2016 - Issue 15

ARMANI From having no formal training in fashion, Giorgio Armani has built a successful empire through the help of his friend and business partner Sergio Galeotti. Jada Brookes explores the passion of the designer who is still going strong today at the age of 81. I t was thanks to his ‘power suits’ appearing frequently in the 1980s television series Miami Vice and also in the film American Gigolo starring Richard Gere that Giorgio Armani’s profile was raised in America. Having first launched his business empire in the mid-1970s, Armani’s brand has grown substantially over the years and now includes make-up, houseware, books, restaurants and hotels. The iconic designer who was born in Piacenza, Italy on 11th July 1934 is one of the most popular names in fashion thanks to his body-conscious yet understated clothing. Growing up in a small town outside of Milan during World War II was a very difficult time for the son of a shipping manager and his two siblings – older brother Sergio and younger sister Rosanna. Some of his friends were killed during Allied bombings. “We were poor and life was tough,” he told Harp- er’s Bazaar. “The cinema in Milan was a refuge – a palace of dreams – and the movie stars seemed so glamorous. I fell in love with the idealised beauty of Hol- lywood stars.” You would have thought that Armani would venture into fashion straight away but instead he pursued his interest in anatomy. He described this as “making dolls out of mud with a coffee bean hidden inside” to the Guardian newspaper. With a fascination for the human form, Armani studied medicine at the Univer- sity of Placenza for two years. It was when he had to take a break from school to complete his required military service that Armani got his first taste of fashion. “I was doing my military service and I bitedesignerprofile