ROME, September 4. /TASS/. Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died, La Repubblica reported.

He had celebrated his 91st birthday on July 11, though in recent months his health was said to be in decline. Armani’s fashion house, founded in 1975, remained one of the few global brands to stay independent, never joining a major holding company. According to his firm, a farewell ceremony will take place on September 6 and 7 in Milan, while the funeral will be held in a close circle, as the designer had wished, Corriere della Sera reported.

Armani’s fashion revolution

Born in Piacenza, Armani burst onto the global fashion scene as a game changer, with collections often ahead of their time. He kept his reputation as a trendsetter until the very end, though one of his last shows was canceled due to health issues.

Armani rarely gave interviews and needed no advertising - the Armani brand spoke for itself, covering a wide range from haute couture to the more affordable Armani Jeans. His first collection appeared on July 24, 1975, marking the start of a long-lived fashion house he founded together with Sergio Galeotti.

His strict, minimalist style, built on the motto "Less is more," earned the admiration of many movie stars who wore his designs on the red carpet. Exhibitions were dedicated to his creations, and his designs appeared in Hollywood films - from Richard Gere in American Gigolo to Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. He also created uniforms for the Italian Olympic team.

The Armani empire extended into interior design as well. In 2010, he decorated a hotel in the world’s tallest building in Dubai. By expanding into different price ranges such as Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans, and actively developing in foreign markets, he became one of the few Italian designers to keep control of his brand. Unlike many of his peers, Armani never left Italy.

In the past year, media began to speculate about who would inherit his fashion empire, which La Stampa valued at €7 billion.