On a July afternoon in 2014 Giorgio Armani he had called her, saying: would you be willing to write my autobiography with me? Roberta Filippini, Journalist Handle fashion manager, he didn't need to be told twice.
It was the beginning of a series of long meetings, filled with memories but also reflections and even heated exchanges between the great designer and the journalist. She would only later understand that their work together was actually intended to provide only a basic biographical framework, to frame the true story of himself and his work that Armani had in mind: a vast array of images that for him were a living thing, not a narrative of the past. He had just turned eighty, had created a kingdom of elegance where he was the undisputed ruler, and still had many plans for the group he led as sole shareholder.
But the journalist's curiosity—or rather, her profound human interest—had sparked something different. Giorgio Armani found himself talking about himself to someone he could trust, but not so close as to cause him any embarrassment. Roberta Filippini recounts having the impression, albeit gratifying, that Armani had almost unconsciously begun using her as a blank slate to reveal himself to himself. At the end of their conversations, Armani told her that, however, it wasn't yet time for him to talk about himself in the past tense.
Eleven years later, after Armani's death, Filippini pulled out those typewritten pages, realized he had entrusted them to her, and reread them with emotion, realizing that nothing written together could diminish him or embarrass anyone. An intimate and public biography was born, enriched by the author's professional recollections, anecdotes, and numerous testimonies. Armani as a child in Piacenza, his family, the suffering of the war and postwar period, his arrival in Milan, and the arduous journey to discover his true calling. His long apprenticeship, the beginnings of success, his friendships and loves, his passions, and that sensuality that always dominated his fashion and his relationships.
Armani, starting with men's fashion, revolutionizes the jacket by deconstructing it and offering men the opportunity to express tenderness even in the softness of their clothing. Giorgio, who senses "the pace of women," their aspirations in the years of feminism, the female desire to dress in order to choose who they are, the long, flowing jacket that almost becomes the symbol of a new power. Great successes intertwined with sorrows, the death of Sergio Galeotti, who became for him more than love, a brotherly affection, a partner, a support. The decision to move forward, transforming himself into a designer-entrepreneur. The story traces alliances, conquests, collaborations, and inventions, such as the one, conceived with Leonardo del Vecchio, to create the first designer glasses together, a novel fashion accessory and no longer just an annoying functional object. The 368 pages feature his family and collaborators, even those who have since departed and whom Armani almost wanted to erase, because that's how he was, jealous and possessive.
For the Armani group, 1999 ended with revenues of 1680 billion old lire, a net profit of 212,2 billion, and a net financial position of over 671 billion: it was now a highly sought-after target. 2000 marked a turning point, with the refusal to give in to Bernard Arnault's flattering offers, but also the decision to reject a proposed new company with Gucci that would have formed Italy's leading luxury group. This is a story that emerges clearly in this book, because sometimes it takes many years for truths often before the reporter's eyes to emerge.
The group expands in the East, dramatically expanding its product range. Armani designs homes and hotels, develops a passion for sports, and is always supported by Leo Dell'Orco, who will be central to the designer-entrepreneur's legacy. He is the only person to have founded a successful brand, back in 1975, and to have maintained and guided it to the very end.
