Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer, dies at 91

The legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died, the company he founded said Thursday. He was 91.

“With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” the fashion house said.

He “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” it added. “Tireless, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, its collections, and the diverse and ever-evolving projects both existing and in progress.”

Armani had been unwell for some time, and his canceled appearance at Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week in June was the first time in his career that he had missed one of his catwalk events. His last public appearance was May 21.

Known as “Re Giorgio” — or King Giorgio — he founded his eponymous company in 1975 and it soon became a byword for sleek, understated style that “extended from fashion to every aspect of life,” as the statement put it.

It’s breakout moment came in 1980 when it designed the suits worn by Richard Gere in the movie “American Gigolo.” From there, it expanded into a global empire that covered everything from haute couture to high-street fashion, from eyeglasses to shoes and even homeware.

Though the funeral service will be private, in accordance with Armani’s wishes, the wake at the at the fashion house’s dramatic Milan headquarters and showspace, the Teatro Armani, will be open to the public Saturday and Sunday.

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, paid tribute to the designer’s “elegance, sobriety, and creativity,” through which “he was able to bring luster to Italian fashion and inspire the entire world.”

She called him “an icon, a tireless worker, a symbol of the best of Italy. Thank you for everything.”

Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister who is from Armani’s hometown of Milan, called him “a figure of Italian excellence recognized and admired throughout the world” and “an unsurpassed master of style and creativity.”