EMPORIO ARMANI

The empire founded by Giorgio Armani is as gigantic as his name is famous. Founded in 1975, the house of Armani features several satellite brands for clothing, makeup and perfumes for men, women, children and adolescents, as well as chocolates and home décor. Originally destined for a career in medicine, Giorgio Armani abandoned his studies in 1953 in order to complete his military service. Enrolled as a nurse, he soon realised that his future lay elsewhere, and when he returned, he set out to change his path. Hired by the department store La Rinascente, he shone when designing window displays, gravitating more and more towards design. In the early 1960s, he joined the house of Nino Cerrutti as a menswear designer. More than ten years later, he issued the very first designs under his name. While the main brand was born in the mid-70s, popularised by a lightly oversized suit jacket that redrew the map of Italian elegance, it wasn't until the 80s that Giorgio started Emporio Armani. The idea? To reach a younger crowd, slightly less wealthy than those who were snapping up his luxury ready-to-wear collections. To reach his goals, the Italian designer had the idea to democratise denim. At the time still considered very casual, jeans hadn't yet found their place in major collections. Everything changed when the designer put denim at the heart of his new line. Recognisable for its eagle logo, the line is still one of the Italian brand's most famous labels.