Giorgio Armani dies at 91, reshaping luxury and Hollywood fashion

Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who reshaped modern luxury and became a fixture of Hollywood red carpets, died Thursday morning at his home in Milan. He was 91. The Armani Group announced that he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, and immediate tributes poured in from friends, collaborators and figures across fashion and film.

Armani rose from modest beginnings to build a global fashion empire after founding Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in 1975 with his partner Sergio Galeotti. Born in Piacenza in 1934 and briefly a medical student before entering fashion, he first gained international renown when Richard Gere wore his sleek, unstructured suits in Paul Schrader's 1980 film American Gigolo. That moment is widely credited with bringing Armani's softer tailoring into mainstream menswear and launching his longstanding relationship with Hollywood.

His influence extended beyond menswear. Armani popularized relaxed, tailored looks for women that altered red carpet conventions, dressing icons from Diane Keaton and Julia Roberts to Cate Blanchett and Rihanna. He also designed costumes for films including Casino and The Wolf of Wall Street, and his creations have been...