Emporio Armani

Emporio Armani was founded in Milan in 1981 by Italian designer Giorgio Armani. It arrived as the second ready-to-wear line under his name. Many in the industry believed that a second line would dilute the power of a designer’s name. Armani proved the doubters wrong, broadening his appeal around the globe and bringing new young customers into the Armani orbit.

The proposition was simple. Armani saw a gap in the market, a hunger from younger people for something new and fresh. He started with jeans before expanding into a complete line that worked like a container. Grazia later described it as “an early beacon of democratized luxury.” The label stuck because it captured what the line did differently from its parent house.

Menswear sat at the center of the project from the start. Denim became a defining element of the brand’s lexicon, used for trousers and jackets. Bomber jackets turned into a phenomenon in Italy with the Paninaro subculture in the ’80s. The cut followed Armani’s broader thinking about menswear, with cuts that follow the body naturally, lightening the sartorial structure and adapting it to everyday wear.

Where contemporaries like Gianni Versace pushed ornament and Romeo Gigli pursued romanticism, Emporio sat closer to the relaxed Milanese tailoring that Armani had already exported through Richard Gere’s wardrobe in American Gigolo. Giorgio Armani became the second designer after Christian Dior to appear on the cover of Time magazine in April 1982. He went on to receive the Geoffrey Beene Award in 1987 from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The line grew into a full system. The word “Emporio” comes from Italian, meaning “department store.” It signifies the brand’s extensive product lines, which include menswear, womenswear, footwear, fragrances, eyewear, and accessories. In a brand restructuring in 2017, Armani Collezioni and Armani Jeans were integrated into Emporio Armani, consolidating the group’s middle tier.

The most significant transition came in 2025. Giorgio Armani died on September 4th at age 91. In October, Giuseppe Marsocci was named chief executive officer of the Giorgio Armani Group, overseeing the entire fashion empire. Pantaleo “Leo” Dell’Orco was appointed chairman of the board of directors and the Giorgio Armani Foundation. A new board driven by the designer’s heirs continues the management model defined by the founder.

Today, Emporio Armani sits in the contemporary segment of the group’s portfolio, dressing a younger customer than the signature line. Sales have increased over the past two years. A co-ed runway format titled “Maestro,” under the joint creative direction of Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco, replaces the standalone menswear show from fall-winter 2026 onward.