Fashion came together to celebrate the legendary designer at the brand’s Spring/Summer 2026 presentation.
Giorgio Armani’s Spring/Summer 2026 show marked 50 years of the Milan design institution, so it was always going to be significant. But with the August passing of Mr Armani – founder of the revolutionary house and its Creative Director until his death – it would become his last collection, therefore assuming an incalculable poignancy when shown on Sunday.
Backdropped by the Pinacoteca di Brera public gallery, the collection preceded the opening of Milano: Per Amore fashion exhibition, which places 120 of Giorgio Armani’s designs among the paintings at the museum, reflecting the intersection between Armani and art (the designer held exhibitions at the Armani/Silos and drew inspiration from artists including Jean Cocteau, Giorgio Morandi, and Sarah Moon).
Opening looks saw Armani’s signature unstructured tailoring front and centre, first in white before progressing to greys, beiges, midnight blues and blacks, with trousers pooling over woven espadrilles – textbook Armani elegance. Later waistcoats worn with flowing sleeves epitomised the ease and nonchalant cool that Armani mastered across decades at the epicentre of fashion.
Despite being a presentation of the new, the collection proved celebratory of the towering Armani legacy that came before it. Tunic-esque shirts, rope style belts, and pooling trousers reflected the designer’s revolutionary approach, a philosophy that softened up menswear by removing structure, crafting in ways that complemented the body.
But Armani’s impact goes beyond the fashion ecosystem. This is the man who revolutionised how Hollywood dressed, both on-screen and on the red carpet. In 1980, he costumed a then-unknown Richard Gere in American Gigolo, catapulting both Armani and Gere to acclaim, and putting a whole new generation of men onto relaxed suiting in softer tones.
Gere was in attendance alongside Spike Lee and Glenn Close, who came out to support the legendary designer and friend; someone whose clothes went further than spectacle, giving power dressing a new meaning – a quiet and refined confidence.
What’s next for the house isn’t yet known. The late Mr Armani specified he would like the business to be sold, prioritising sales to LVMH and L’Oréal, and EssilorLuxottica. But with its Spring/Summer 2026 collection, one thing is certain: Giorgio Armani’s industry-defining designs have left an indelible mark on fashion history.
