September 6, 2025
How Giorgio Armani became a household name after ‘groundbreaking’ 80s movie thumbnail
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How Giorgio Armani became a household name after ‘groundbreaking’ 80s movie

Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91 (Picture: AFP) Following the news of Giorgio Armani’s death, we look back at some of his most iconic moments in film, and the surprising Hollywood costumes that made him a star. The legendary fashion designer died at the age of 91, with his eponymous fashion house”, — write: metro.co.uk

Giorgio Armani waving, while wearing a dark suit.

Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91 (Picture: AFP) Following the news of Giorgio Armani’s death, we look back at some of his most iconic moments in film, and the surprising Hollywood costumes that made him a star.

The legendary fashion designer died at the age of 91, with his eponymous fashion house confirming the news in a heartfelt statement.

He began his designing career in the 60s before starting his own label in 1975, and never looked back – going on to become one of the most influential and highly regarded designers of the 20th century.

His illustrious career spanned five decades, with his brand going on to launch hotels, perfumes and homeware, among many other lines.

Giorgio Armani’s influence in American Gigolo However, many may not know that he had a strong relationship with Hollywood, designing costumes for some of the biggest movies around.

(FILES) Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani acknowledges the audience at the end of the Giorgio Armani Prive show as part of the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 Fashion Week in Paris on July 4, 2023. Italian fashion great Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91

The fashion designer boasted a legendary career (Picture: AFP) Mandatory Credit: Photo by John Minihan/ANL/Shutterstock (1384972a) Fashion Designer Giorgio Armani Fashion Designer Giorgio Armani

He worked on over 200 films over the years (Picture: Shutterstock) It was five years after starting out that his label became a household name known for the reinvention of power dressing and menswear, following the release of Paul Schrader’s movie, American Gigolo, in 1980.

He was heavily involved in the costume design for the groundbreaking movie, and designed much of the wardrobe worn by Julian Kaye, played by lead star Richard Gere.

The thriller followed Gere as an escort in LA, when he became romantically involved with Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton), the wife of a high-profile politician.

His life is flipped upside down when a customer is murdered, and he is the prime suspect in her death.

Through the film, and Gere’s wardrobe, he replaced traditionally stuffy suits with something more lightweight, adding in bolder colors, patterns and a smoother silhouette – all of these, the Pretty Woman actor modelled to perfection.

American Gigolo Richard Gere

He was credited with reinventing the power suit on the big screen (Picture: Paramount) Professional escort Richard Gere pursued by Lauren Hutton in film 'American Gigilo' (1980). Richard Gere, a professional lover, falls for Lauren Hutton, the wife of a US politician, and is subsequently framed for murder.

The iconic film came out in 1980, sending his career into a spin (Picture: Paramount) ‘At that time, I was motivated by the desire to modernize menswear,’ he reflected to the Standard in 2014. ‘In most other areas, new technology was moving forward at a fast pace, but in the field of men’s clothing we were still tied to more or less the same clothes as our fathers and grandfathers wore.

‘I wanted to use softer fabrics and rethink the suit, getting rid of most of the linings and fillings. The unstructured result was a truly new look that preserved its precision while becoming more body-conscious and more comfortable.’

‘As an actor, Richard was more interested in the character than the clothes, but to me the clothes and the character were the same,’ Schrader also told GQ in 2012.

‘I mean, this is a guy who does a line of coke in order to get dressed!

‘I remember telling Richard in 1980 that men’s clothes would become more Edwardian. I felt there was a kind of foppishness that was due to reoccur.

‘Richard thought I was completely wrong, but a couple of years later I ran into him and he said: “You were right about that!” It was just around the corner, so it was simply a matter of who exploited it first.’

Armani in The Untouchables

Armani clearly had a ball being able to combine his love of clothes with his passion for Hollywood, and continued collaborating on movies throughout his career – he worked on the wardrobes of ‘over 200 films’.

After his efforts in American Gigolo, he was behind costumes for The Untouchables, Brian De Palma’s 1987 flick, and dressed Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro and Sir Sean Connery.

‘The time of Prohibition, big gangsters and the first police heroes fighting against the Italian-American Mafia fascinates me,’ Armani continued to the Standard. ‘It was a courageous, almost epic, period.

‘In those years, the volumes were generous and a little bit heavy, with big overcoats completed with the ubiquitous Borsalino hat. The real clothing from that period was quite far removed from my vision as a designer; it was precisely those volumes that, starting in the late 1970s, I wanted to lighten up.

‘So for the film we sought a compromise – credible clothing for the period but more in keeping with my aesthetic.’

The Bodyguard and beyond

While Armani collaborated with Scorsese many times over the years, designing clothes for Goodfellas and Wolf of Wall Street, Costner was also a repeat customer.

Having worked with him on the Untouchables, the designer jumped at the chance to reunite on the Bodyguard – a role which took the star’s career to new heights.

‘The Untouchables made him an international star, while The Bodyguard confirmed his status as a sex symbol,’ he told the Standard. ‘What might have happened between the two films is an increase in the public’s estimation of him, but his qualities as an actor remained unchanged.’

Sharing why he enjoyed fusing Hollywood and fashion in such a way, he added: ‘Whether or not they admit it, people are drawn to bad guys: characters who have no scruples.

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani resting his chin on his hand, pictured at his home in Forte dei Marmi on the Versilia coast of Tuscany. (Photo by Jaime Ardiles-Arce/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

Armani’s funeral will be held privately as per his wishes (Picture: Getty) ‘When I have to dress that kind of character, for instance in The Untouchables or Goodfellas, it is not so much that the characters are gangsters that appeals, as that they are anti-heroes.

‘I like to throw them a touch of elegance, some style and charisma, and play with the paradox of the fascination of the villain. The dark side is always the more interesting one.’

The news of Armani’s death was announced earlier today, prompting tributes from the fashion industry and beyond.

While his cause of death has not yet been confirmed, his funeral will be held privately, ‘in accordance with his explicit wishes’.

A funeral chamber will be set up from 9am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday at Via Bergognone 59 in Milan.

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