Armani, who rose from a window dresser to create one of the world’s most prominent luxury houses, was a hands-on boss who kept tight control over his company, managing to remain independent in a luxury industry that’s become more concentrated under groups such as LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, which owns Loro Piana and Fendi, and Gucci owner Kering SA. Recently, Prada SpA — which owns the hit Gen-Z brand Miu Miu — agreed to buy Versace.
The Italian fashion mogul created a sprawling business with various fashion lines as well as long-term licenses attributed to L’Oreal SA for its beauty and fragrance products — famously Acqua di Gio — EssilorLuxottica SA for its branded eyewear, while Fossil Group sells Emporio Armani watches.
“I don’t currently envisage a takeover by a large luxury conglomerate,” Armani told Bloomberg last year. “But as I said, I don’t want to exclude anything a priori because that would be an ‘unentrepreneurial’ course of action.”
Armani was very active in his final year. In October 2024, he donned an impeccable tuxedo and presented his womenswear spring-summer 2025 collection in New York City.
