Giorgio Armani is a designer, global fashion house, and parent company to some of the most successful clothing lines of all time. Armani set off in the fashion industry working for Cerutti, but after setting up his own design office that boasted high-end fashion houses as its clients. Quickly the influence Armani was having on runway fashion was being noted by the fashion press and gave him the push he needed to launch Giorgio Armani in 1975. And his timing could not have been better, as the Italian manufacturers were aggressively financing designers allowing Armani to have ambitious fashion shows and advertising campaigns without accumulating debt.

Armani always felt a need to push the boundaries with marketing, using methods that most other competitors didn’t. Alongside television adverts and huge street adverts, Armani developed a good working relationship with the film industry and felt that Hollywood had the ability to instil an everlasting brand image in the eyes of millions of watchers. Richard Geere’s modeling of the suit in American Gigolo in 1980 was the perfect example of the power of the big screen, as it propelled both Richard Geere and Armani into the forefront of popular culture. This started a long tradition of unconventional marketing, and in recent years they have sponsored the Venice Film Festival and were the first fashion brand to debut in esports.

As sales revenues grew, the company expanded from the US and Europe markets into Asian markets. Initially with Japan in the early 1990s and then China in the late 1990s. Armani didn’t simply introduce his designs to these new markets, but also took new influences from them which can be seen across his clothing, furniture, and cosmetic lines. In recent years the designer has embraced sustainable fashion, becoming the first luxury designer to accept the Green Carpet Challenge which involved designing a dress entirely out of recycled fabrics and materials. This is many in a long list of examples of Armani leading the way in fashion innovation, both ethically and artistically. He banned models with a BMI under 18 in response to Ana Carolina Reston starving herself to death because of anorexia. Currently the company employs over 7000 people and has revenues over $5.5 billion. And has expanded into hotels, music and sport (having designed multiple football kits).

Incredible Must See 1992 Armani Commercial

How to tell if Armani is vintage from the Logo and Sub Brand

The Armani logo is now closely associated with the highest quality Italian design. Like most couture fashion designers, very little has been changed with the logo over the years. And outwardly facing logos are a rarity, which means when trying to determine which logo your vintage Armani piece has on it the best place to look is the tags.

Giorgio Armani

• Launching as one of Armani’s two first sub brands in 1975.
• Giorgio Armani is their high-end label.
• They design a range of menswear, womenswear, accessories, and more.
• This particular sub brand is only available in Giorgio Armani boutiques and selected specialist high-end stores.

Emporio Armani

• Emporio Armani also launched in 1975.
• Offering menswear and womenswear, Emporio Armani follows modern trends more closely than Giorgio Armani.
• This and Giorgio Armani are the only two sub brands that are mostly designed by Armani himself.

Armani Junior

• The next sub brand from Armani was Armani Junior and launched in 1979.
• This produced a range of baby and children’s clothes.
• It proved so popular that over 150 dedicated Armani Junior stores are open around the world that only sell the Junior lines.

Armani Jeans

• Armani Jeans began in 1981.
• It is a slightly lower ticket sub brand.
• And focuses on casual wear and denim.

Armani Exchange

• In 1991 Armani Exchange launched.
• The emblem was the same, with some minor changes to the shape that encloses the V.
• And the font is also slightly thicker.

Armani Collezioni

• 1997.
• The emblem was the same, with some minor changes to the shape that encloses the V.
• And the font is also slightly thicker.

Armani Prive

• 2005.
• The emblem was the same, with some minor changes to the shape that encloses the V.
• And the font is also slightly thicker.

How to tell if Armani is vintage from the Neck Tags

Unfortunately, the small changes to the logo, and the fact it’s only been updated once, can make it a bit of a limiting tool for identifying when your Armani is from. This is also due to the fact that the early logo and reference to his second name were rarely seen on tags even from before 1979. So, comparing the tags is the next logical step, but before you do, here’s a few things to bear in mind. Armani tags only started including sizing, sometimes in the form of extra tabs, in the 1990s. So, if your Armani has a sizing tab it is likely from the 1990s onwards, although not all pieces from the 1990s onwards would use sizing tabs. Another clue that might indicate that an item is not vintage is if it was made outside of Italy.

Can’t identify those vintage tags or labels? Submit a picture on our vintage tag identification page, and we’ll help you out!

1980s

• At this time the tags would become a more standardized format.
• With the text and emblem logo in the middle.
• The country of manufacture on one of the sides.
• And the product line often beneath the logo, which became a common structure for future tags.

1990s

• Whilst jeans had previously been launched by Armani, a dedicated Jeans line was launched in the 1990s which was a collection of more casual Armani style clothing.
• Many of these and the Miss V tags are completely sewn in.
• Boutique and Couture tags were big thick bits of fabric usually found on dresses and gowns.
• Armani Roma was launched that focused on womenswear like skirts, blouses, and jackets.

2000s

• In the 2000s Armani more aggressively expanded into menswear, launching the Chemise line which would create men’s shirts.
• It became common practice for the country of manufacture to be on the right side of the tag.
• Tags were often fully sewn in.

2010s

• Many of the tags transitioned to being fabric loop tags instead of being sewn in.
• They say the sub brand in very small writing at the bottom of the tag.
• Pieces from this era usually have wash tags that include a lot of extra information in multiple languages.