What’s Giorgio Armani’s legacy? He revolutionised menswear and the women’s wardrobe and shaped the tastes of two generations. On the red carpet, he dressed Hollywood’s most famous faces and cemented the link between fashion and cinema in a way few designers had before. Long before it became the standard for luxury fashion houses to brand into lifestyle, Armani was already creating a universe of his own, extending his aesthetic into homeware, hotels and restaurants. And throughout all that, as a business leader, his ability to retain independence for decades is an achievement many of today’s designers aspire to.
Armani held 99.9 per cent of the shares in the company he built, the remaining 0.01 per cent belonging to the Giorgio Armani Foundation, which he created in 2016. In today’s landscape, is replicating Armani’s formula — one that yielded years of success and admiration from the industry — still possible?
It’s complicated, according to Mario Ortelli, managing director of Ortelli Co. “The main reasons it’s difficult to be independent today are: the wholesale channel is weaker and less supportive than in the past and fashion has become global, not to mention the faster pace. It’s no longer two seasons but a continuous injection of novelty in terms of product and also marketing content. The barrier of entry and the barrier to stay in the game are much higher.” It’s easier to maintain a legacy under the protection of a larger conglomerate.
There’s also less blank space to own today, highlights Bernstein luxury goods analyst Luca Solca. “Today, designers find a very competitive environment with very little room available. As good as they may be, they struggle to reach a critical mass,” he says.
But if it can be done, it pays off –– as Armani has proven.
Defending independence
While it’s difficult to achieve, there are many benefits of running a brand independently. “You can take intelligent risks,” says Milton Pedraza, founder and CEO of consulting firm The Luxury Institute. “There’s freedom to innovate within the DNA of the brand when it’s run independently, rather than as a public company or within a group.” For a designer thinking about legacy, maintaining independence can enable them to nurture their vision over decades, pivoting throughout the years but without the pressure of needing to chase immediate returns.
In theory, the way to build an independent legacy is simple: protect the brand’s DNA, and be consistent in delivery. “The key is the point of view. It’s how consistent you are as a brand and designer, which you can do as long as you maintain an audience and you’re not trend-driven,” says Gary Wassner, CEO of Hilldun Corporation, which provides financial services across the fashion industry. “Most brands, regardless of how large they are, if they lose their original DNA, it dilutes the brand. They lose their original customer — the one who comes back to them over and over again because they can count on the fit, the style and the look they’ve come to love.”
“If you execute the fundamentals of luxury extraordinarily well, you don’t have to do extraordinary things,” says Pedraza. “You have to execute your DNA well, you create new products, you figure out the distribution, you figure out what’s fair value pricing. You talk to your customers continually, especially the high net worth, to understand how their needs are evolving and how they perceive your brand in the marketplace. You can’t control the macroeconomics, but you can certainly control your skill set, your strategy and your tactics.”
“Longevity in fashion has never been easy, only a handful of designers become truly legendary,” says American designer Tommy Hilfiger. “Giorgio Armani showed us that it takes vision, discipline and the ability to stay true to your DNA while adapting to the world. To thrive and keep moving forward demands resilience and a long-term perspective. The industry moves faster, but with new technologies and direct access to consumers, designers who combine creativity with integrity can still build something that lasts.”
The designer as the epicentre
There are pros and cons to how closely aligned the founder’s persona is with the public perception of the brand. Mr Armani’s persona was inextricably linked to his brand, which has created a consistency in values and delivery. “There are always a lot of stealth creatives within the team, but when the team leader passes away or leaves, the team can become rudderless because that original founder has the DNA of the brand,” says Pedraza.
The best path forward after the founder’s departure is to find a “brand steward”, he says, someone like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel. “He didn’t overwhelm the brand with his own persona but maintained the DNA while innovating, giving the brand life,” says Pedraza.
The founder’s role in the ownership model is central to its independence, though. “The ownership model that helps a brand maintain independence is ownership by a single person like Mr Armani. With a family business, there are more owners and decision makers, who can grow exponentially at the second or third generation, increasing the chance that someone wants to sell the business,” says Ortelli.
Ensuring a lasting legacy
Armani established his foundation to oversee the governance and future management of his brands. While the foundation currently owns 0.01 per cent of the company, some expect that stake to grow now that Armani has passed. The foundation-ownership structure would model Rolex’s; the watch brand is owned and controlled by the private family trust of founder Hans Wilsdorf.
“A trust or a foundation runs the brand, but the creative DNA is always perpetuated by successful caretakers. There’s a lot of creativity that can emerge from that [structure],” Pedraza says. “The other thing is that corporations, ironically, can be financially undisciplined whereas brands that are run by families through a foundation — like in Rolex’s case — are often frugal about the way they invest and spend money. They can be phenomenal stewards of a brand, not just creatively but financially.”
Aside from maintaining the brand’s legacy, designers’ foundations also serve philanthropic reasons that are closely aligned to their values. Paul Smith’s Foundation is focused on helping emerging designers develop business acumen; Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation nurtures creativity among new talent; and Vivienne Westwood’s foundation is focused on environmental activism. These initiatives ensure a designer’s influence extends beyond their collections, embedding their principles into the future of the industry.
Beyond that, Armani’s legacy has been the positive culture and relationships he nourished. “The unique skill Mr Armani had is that he trained people well and treated people well, which generated a tremendous amount of loyalty and that will serve the brand well,” says Pedraza.
Charting a path of independence is as much a mindset as much as it is a business model. One of today’s most prominent rising independents, Simon Porte Jacquemus, put it simply after his Versailles show in June: “I have so many dreams. You have to be a dreamer forever when you are an independent fashion designer.”
For many designers, legacy is about using their platform for good. “I’ve always been more interested in what’s next than in looking back. I dreamed big, worked hard, adapted to change, and was fortunate to have great partners and mentors who helped shape the journey,” says Hilfiger. “Over time, those choices created a global brand — but what matters most to me now is using that platform in a meaningful way. Whether it’s inspiring self-expression or supporting new talent, I want my legacy to stand for positive change in the world.”
Armani’s path proves that a brand can outlast trends if it is treated with care. His legacy may not be solely in the empire he has built, but the inspiration he has provided for the independent designers of tomorrow.
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