During a fashion show, I want the clothes to speak. The effort I put into my work must be respected.
— Giorgio Armani
When I started Giorgio Armani in the mid-'70s, I realized that women needed a way to dress that was equivalent to that of men - something that would give them dignity, an attitude that would help them handle their work life.
A homosexual man is a man 100 per cent. He does not need to dress homosexual.
I learned little by little. I learned how to draw. I learned how to tell the difference in the quality of fabrics - the subtle differences. I started with collections for men. So my first collection for women was deeply inspired by male roles.
This is very much my philosophy as a fashion designer. I have never believed in design for design's sake. For me, the most important thing is that people actually wear my clothes. I do not design for the catwalk or for magazine shoots - I design for customers.
Without insecurities, I think one becomes a little bit of an idiot.
I must always try to do better because perfectionism, and the need to always have new goals and achieve them, is a state of mind that brings profound meaning to life.
I am not in the stock market. I am beholden to no one in what I do. If I spend billions on a fashion show, I spend billions. It's not public. And if I am in the stock market, I am obligated to account for things, and to show what the business is doing.
If I eat at the Emporio Armani Caffe, my favorite thing to order is risotto or pasta with tomato sauce in winter; in summer, I prefer a Caprese salad, Parmigiano cheese flakes, or some truly fresh ricotta cheese.
I prefer being around young people. I don't like situations from the past, definitely no nostalgia. I prefer to think of doing everything new with a different generation that has a different mentality.
I started to take care of my body after I turned 50. I never liked how I looked physically because I was too cute, short, with coloring only on my cheeks, the perfect little nose, and then the blue eyes. I was a hit with girls, who told me it was like I was in Technicolor.
There can be nothing without love. No money, no power. Love is very important. When you wake up in the morning, you need to know that somebody else is waking up, thinking of you.
I am happiest in public, working in my world. Then I can be the star. That I can do. When I am not working, I am more guarded, set apart. It's not my life, that. I like interactions, but interaction that is not forced.
I don't have a formula to pass on. I always did it my own way. Even today, I hold my independence close. It's what's most precious to me. Passion. Risk. Tenacity. Consistency. This is my professional history.
A well-maintained physique is a great business card. Ideas and intelligence are what matters, but if you have a well-maintained physique, it's better.
War taught me that not everything is glamorous.
In practice, I've had a presence in China since 1998 with my commercial spaces and shops.
My work today is perceived as being classic, but when I first started out, it was a break from the norm. Since then, I have continued to reinvent myself. I don't change my style, but I allow it to evolve.
It's not a good idea to match your shoes with a bag too stringently. Go for subtle similarity.
The idea of the museum is to show my work since the start, and I wanted to show all of it, not just to choose between different pieces. They are grouped together in themes - minimalism, androgyny, black and white, graphic, flowers, and so on - from the earliest designs to the most recent ones.
My work has taught me to pay great respects towards human beings.
I get really frustrated when people say that a collection is not very 'Armani.' Iconic status can be like a pair of handcuffs, especially if, like me, you wish to continually stretch yourself creatively, as Warhol did.
Marketing is not a nice word, but the world is about marketing now.
I must make decisions every five minutes and give the impression of being sure of myself! Sincerely, this is the cause of my verbal violence.
That is always what I've had to do in life: to show I am capable of surviving.
I dress in my 'uniform,' or my own dress code, which reflects my personal method and work ethic. My belief is that my plain T-shirt - I have about 40 of them - or blue sweater helps focus others' attention on me and on what I say.
I don't like women who follow fashion in the sense of becoming victims of it. I like women who have elegance, who have allure, who use fashion, rather than the other way around.
Creative work gives you an almost indissoluble connection with people.
This is the problem with the world today: Nobody wants to take risks, to risk being themselves.
You have to have doubts. I have collaborators I work with. I listen, and then I decide. That's how it works.
In the fashion world, you have to make clothes to sell. You have to make clothes for the press. You have to make clothes for yourself. What I mean is, everything is an obligation. But a writer? A pure artist? Maybe he doesn't make one lira - but he does what he wants.
Why do I put myself in a position to be cast aside or not considered as I would like to? Because I am a creative mind, because I still aspire to be one.
It is difficult to talk about fashion in the abstract, without a human body before my eyes, without drawings, without a choice of fabric - without a practical or visual reality.
I've always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet.
These designers have no reserve. They've chosen a path and thrown themselves onto it head first, regardless of everything. Whether or not their designs are sellable or vulgar. As long as it's new and people talk about it. That is the truth.
I prefer to look at a natural woman. A woman should be courageous to become older, not desperate to look younger than her age.
Milan is a true metropolis: strong and fearless but welcoming, too. Little by little, I came to realize that I could become someone here.
I have always considered that my collection must have an international flair so it can be at the service of the European public. Or to people in Asia. Yes, there are tiny little alterations I notice in the proportions of the outfits, but fundamentally, the collection is that way.
These days, as I am older and wiser, I realize that there is a danger in becoming an icon, as people can see you as remote and untouchable, and they are less willing to tolerate you doing things that don't fit with their preconceived idea of you.
The more successful I become, the more I want to remain like me, with my defects and insecurities.
When I started, I had nothing. Because my family was really, really, really poor.
The excitement does not change. After 40 years in the business, I still find the show to be a magical moment - the performance anxiety, the litmus test.
My relationship with Paris began when I was working for Cerruti in the mid-1960s. When there was an important event in his store, Nino Cerruti very kindly took me with him. I was fascinated, and the city made a big impression on me.
My well-known aesthetic sense, which is so obvious and personal, spontaneously spurs me to challenge myself with different disciplines.
I would say that my idea of style and my taste are the same as when I began: They express my deep appreciation of all that is simple and linear... I always want to keep up with the times but without altering the essential characteristics of my philosophy.
I have never had anything to do with the kind of fashion that is influenced by the press or identified with the spirit of the season. My clients come for me; they come back each season for my spirit. That's the reality.
The essence of style is a simple way of saying something complex.
I'm a very private person, and perhaps this can be mistaken for aloofness.
I wanted to dress the woman who lives and works, not the woman in a painting.
China approaches fashion with strong enthusiasm. And I believe that this enthusiasm can be translated into something interesting, economically speaking. Not only for my brand, but also for other brands.
