Armani opens up to the turning point: «I don’t rule out a merger or an IPO»

The group has been independent for 50 years

Giorgio Armani, from Piacenza, born in 1934, founded the company almost fifty years ago. With experience as a window dresser at Rinascente in the 1960s and, subsequently, as a stylist for Nino Cerruti, where he developed an in-depth knowledge of fabrics and tailoring, he opened the first consultancy office in the early 1970s, in Milan , together with Sergio Galeotti, and, in 1975, Giorgio Armani. From that moment on he climbed the Olympus of international fashion, interpreting a sartorial, elegant and no-frills style. Over the years, the company, with the Giorgio, Emporio and Armani Exchange lines, with beauty, sunglasses, the Armani home line and hotels, has grown on a global scale and has become a group with 2.35 billion in revenues net (2022 data, the latest available, up 16.5% compared to the previous year) and Ebit equal to 202.5 million euros, up 30% compared to 2021.

Giorgio Armani – despite the rumors that have followed one another for years, including that of a possible sale to L’Orèal which has been producing Giorgio Armani branded perfumes and beauty products for decades and currently has a license until 2050 – has never wanted to sell pace and has always defended the independence of his company.