By Giorgio Armani: from clothing lines Emporio, Exchange and Junior to homeware, sweets and hotels

The early years of life very often determine what kind of a person one becomes in adulthood. It was the case of Giorgio Armani as well. As a young boy, he was watching with excitement his mother crafting clothes for the full family nearly out of nothing: and it never lacked a hint of elegance or looked cheap. However, his path was not straightforward. At first, Giorgio was to graduate with a degree in medicine and to start a career as a doctor. His plans were interrupted by the service in the Italian army. Perhaps, that was the turning point for the man in his twenties, as he seriously reconsidered his skills and desires - and applied for the position of window designer at the famous Milan shopping center La Rinascente. Very soon, Giorgio became a customer's consultant in the menswear division. In 1964, he got the offer to create a men's capsule as an assistant of Nino Cerruti.

Nevertheless, something wasn't still fulfilled inside the self-made but already in his 40s designer. Deep in his soul, he knew that he wanted to make something independently, something that would become a creation of his own. The sign came in the form of Sergio Galeotti, who saw the great potential in Armani. They said "Sì" to "Giorgio Armani" and opened their store in 1975, on the money from the sold car. Starting with the fashion show inside a casual cafeteria, they presented the legendary Armani "soft jacket" without shoulder pads, thus revolutionizing the preceding "square" model. With all possible Italian sensuality, they also included new vivid overtones to the inconspicuously colored suits. Soon, La Boheme of the 80s and 90s was all dressed up from head to toe in Armani.

Throughout the whole time of the brand's existence, three words never abandoned its core philosophy: elegance, simplicity, and excellence. "I am very loyal to my roots which is from pure design – a pencil and a sketchbook," Giorgio Armani always reminded, meaning that the quality of his works was at the highest priority. It helped him to expand his main high-fashion line into the whole empire and many more subsidiaries without reducing their classiness. In such a way, appeared Emporio Armani and Armani Collezioni, slightly cheaper brands generated for younger and older audiences, respectively. More mass-market lines, Armani Exchange and Armani Jeans, offered affordable pieces in casual and denim styles.

The latest SS2020 collection of the luxurious primary brainchild Giorgio Armani is called "Earth" - and stands out by its practicality for wearing on an everyday basis. The more youth-oriented Emporio features very floaty and airy garments that tenderly repeat the silhouette of the body.  What united both of the collections was greige, which coincides with the name of Giorgio capsule.

There were whispers that an 86-years old CEO and Creative Director, Giorgio Armani, has been for some time looking for his successor. What remains unchanging is his lifelong motto, which supported Armani in staying on Haute Couture Olympus without forgetting his true inner self. "Luxury is knowing how to live in harmony with oneself and with others. The first step toward serenity and simplicity is to overcome the superfluous," these words should be one of the clues to the secret of his success.

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