An Emotional Tribute to Giorgio Armani at the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards 2025

September 28, 2025

The Legacy Award was presented by Anna Wintour chief content officer of Cond Nast and global editorial director of Vogue...

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This article first appeared on Vogue Business.

There was one name on everyone’s lips at this year’s CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards: Giorgio Armani. The late designer, who passed away on 4 September, was honored with a posthumous Legacy Award at the event, which drew a throng of Italian fashion’s finest to the La Scala opera house in Milan.

The award was presented by Anna Wintour, chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue, to Armani’s niece Silvana Armani, nephew Andrea Camera, and close business associate Leo Dell’Orco.

“Giorgio ended up one of fashion’s heads of state, but he was a visionary in his day, ahead of several curves,” Wintour said in her speech. “Before him, there was only the boring business suit with its stiff forms. He liberated suiting and in the process he liberated fashion. Visit the runways this week and you will see this legacy everywhere.”

Giorgio Armanis nephew Andrea Camera niece Silvana Camera and close business associate Leo DellOrco.

Tributes were also paid by Carlo Capasa, chairman of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI). “In this special evening, we celebrate the creative and human story of Giorgio Armani, who offered vision, beauty — and his legacy is one of integrity and timeless style, a reminder of what fashion can be at its very best,” he said on stage.

Nine other awards were presented during the evening, including the Craft and Artisanship Award, which went to Tod’s, and the Diversity and Inclusion Award, won this year by Willy Chavarria. The Visionary Award (of which Armani was a recipient in 2022) was replaced for this year only by the Legacy Award.

“Diversity and inclusion is so deeply important in this world,” said Chavarria, accepting his award. “The stories we tell through fashion can protect our cultural identities. And especially at a time when our souls, our histories and our very presence are under a very rapid erasure in some places. It’s up to us to come together and promote and propel the people that we all are.”

Willy Chavarria who won the CNMI Diversity and Inclusion Award.

The Human Capital and Social Impact Award was presented to Saheli Women, the non-profit social enterprise founded by Madhu Vaishnav in Bhikamkor, Rajasthan, to empower local women to become primary earners through skills development, fair wages, health insurance and a safe working environment. Saheli Women now employs over 100 artisans across two centres and collaborates with more than 60 fashion brands globally. “The Human Capital and Social Impact Award shines a light on those who place people at the heart of their strategy, turning fashion into a tool for change,” said awards host American actress Shailene Woodley.

“I’m so honored to be here tonight amongst artists, creators, innovators and dreamers like yourselves,” said Vaishnav. “At the same time, it’s a great responsibility to uphold the extraordinary legacy that Giorgio Armani has entrusted to us all. We’re here tonight united by one belief. When fashion embraces responsibility, it gains the power to inspire.”

Saheli Women a nonprofit social enterprise founded by Madhu Vaishnav was presented the Human Capital and Social Impact...

The Circular Economy Award was presented to Regenesi, an Italian brand that transforms post-consumer waste materials such as aluminum, glass, plastic, leather and cardboard into bags, clothing and household items. And the Climate Action Award was given to The Schneider Group, which ethically sources, processes and supplies high-quality wool, cashmere, vicuna and other noble animal fibres. They were presented the award by Paola Deda, chairperson of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, for “their commitment to turning their clients’ natural fibres into a symbol for integrity, responsibility and preservation”.

The Bicester Collection Award for Emerging Designers was presented to Sake, a regenerative fashion project founded by Colombian designer Ana Tafur, which focuses on co-creating with Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Andes and Amazon to preserve ancestral knowledge and build regenerative economies.

The Sustainable Fashion Awards, originally launched in 2017, are today organised by CNMI in collaboration with the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion and with support from the Municipality of Milan.