Giorgio Armani dies at 91 in Milan

Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who built a global fashion empire and redefined modern tailoring, died Thursday at his home in Milan, his fashion house said. He was 91. The Armani Group said he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, and described the loss as leaving an immense void for the family of employees and collaborators who had worked with him for decades.

In a statement posted by the company, the group said, "With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder and tireless driving force Giorgio Armani." The statement added that Armani worked until his final days and that the family and employees "commit to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility and love." A funeral chamber will be open Saturday and Sunday at the ArmaniTeatro in Milan, and the funeral itself will be private in accordance with Armani's wishes, the company said.

Armani, born July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, is credited with transforming Italian ready-to-wear with a relaxed, unstructured silhouette centered on an unlined jacket and muted palette that became a global signature in the late 1970s and...