Giorgio Armani and sustainable fashion, history and thoughts

Giorgio Armani believes the fashion industry needs to slow down.Thoughts, biography and initiatives of one of the most appreciated Italian stylists in the world.

“I have always believed in an idea of ​​timeless elegance”.

Giorgio Armani is an Italian stylist and entrepreneur, founder of the company of the same name, considered among the most important in the world in the fashion industry.

Innovative designer, Armani has revolutionized its sector with its deconstructed jacket.An avant-garde garment, without structure, without padding or interlining, with completely renewed proportions.A jacket that is "relaxed, informal, less rigorous, which reveals the body and its sensuality", capable of adapting to the person who wears it like a second skin, regardless of gender.

The designer, among the best known and appreciated internationally, is once again ready to change the rules of the game.To get rid of those superstructures that prevent fashion to adapt to changes in society, to respond to the needs of consumers and the Planet.It intends to overturn the patterns that transform it into a "pure game of communication", forcing it into a cage made of clothes that do not last the length of a season, "cruise fashion shows around the world", models that do not reflect the varied reality in that we live in and "grandiose spectacles" which perhaps are nothing more than "wastes of money that pollute" and "painted enamel on nothing".

It's time to "restore value to authenticity", to make fashion behave just like a deconstructed jacket, managing to dress a world that, now more than ever, needs to slow down.There pandemic it has shown us that we cannot continue to fuel a disposable society, depriving the Earth of its resources in the name of appearance.This is why it's time for the fashion industry return to being a "human-scale system".

The open letter to Women's Wear Daily on fashion and the pandemic

These are just some of the thoughts that Giorgio Armani reported in an open letter published on Women's Wear Daily, a magazine so authoritative that it has earned the nickname "Fashion Bible".With that letter, the designer was the first in his field to reflect on what the health crisis could teach us.It should help us understand, for example, “how absurd the current state of affairs is, with the overproduction of garments and a criminal misalignment between the meteorological season and the commercial season.”And as “a slowdown attentive and intelligent is the only way out.A path that will finally bring value back to our work."

Sometimes deciding to slow down is a sign of strength

Armani was also among the first to choose parade behind closed doors to protect its employees, the press, buyers and guests;to close its chain stores, hotels and restaurants;choose to convert Italian factories to the production of disposable gowns and carry out donations to hospitals, charities and organizations active in environmental protection.

Stopping is not easy, but it is often "a sign of strength";Slowing down the pace of your work isn't always easy either, but it's the right key to enhancing it.And to allow it to evolve, perhaps going so far as to leave "the summer collections in boutiques until at least the beginning of September" and to organize shows and fashion shows that do not have a major environmental impact, but rediscover the beauty of being "local" - as expected Steven Kolb, president of Council of Fashion Designers of America.

What is Milan for Giorgio Armani:private and professional life

Giorgio Armani immediately dedicated body and soul to his business and knows well what the ability to evolve is.Born in 1934 and grew up in Piacenza, it is a Milan who found a way to express his passion.From his first studio, two rooms on the ground floor of Corso Venezia, he could hear the processions of the Years of Lead passing by.One drawing after another, he tried to "imagine a new way of dressing for a society in full evolution".Living in the Milanese capital taught him that there is no reason to be afraid of stopping, because Milan never stops.And he taught him that you shouldn't be afraid to make sacrifices to make your dreams come true.For this reason he gave up his medical degree to accept a position as a buyer at a department store La Rinascente.It is certainly also thanks to this gamble that the July 24th of 1975 was born there Giorgio Armani s.p.a..

A career full of successes:entrepreneurial activities and recognitions

That was only the beginning.In the following years the lines were launched Emporio Armani, A|X Armani Exchange, Armani/Casa and the sportswear line EA7 Emporio Armani.Finally, in 2005, the entrepreneur presented his first collection in Paris Haute Couture Giorgio Armani Privé.A few years later he inaugurated his first ones hotel in Milan and Dubai.

Results that have earned him recognition of the caliber of the cover of Time, of an art exhibition at the museum Guggenheim of New York on the cultural and sociological impact of his work and on his role as a precursor in the world of cinema and, in 2008, the Legion d'Honneur.Then in 2010 he obtained the title of Designer of the Year at the GQ Awards in London.Five years later he celebrated the anniversary of the birth of his brand by inaugurating theArmani/Silos in via Bergognone in Milan.More recently he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by the British Fashion Council for his creative contribution to the fashion industry.

Armani and sustainable fashion, where is the journey at?

The Armani group has eliminated the animal fur from its production, investing in research alternative materials, many of which are recycled and recyclable.In the A|X Armani Exchange collections some garments are made in recycled denim, while some bags from the Emporio Armani line are made of regenerated leather fibre.A selection of jackets with padding in 'was then recently introducedcashmere bow' instead of goose down.

For the creation of numerous technical clothing items in the sports collections, a fabric entirely obtained from the recovery of polyester from bottles.All those products that meet sustainability criteria are recognizable thanks to the 'Armani sustainability project' logo.

A new line of glasses

In February 2021, the lines of eyeglasses:approximately twenty models will be presented over the course of the year;some will be made with 100 percent recycled materials thanks to a recovery process industrial waste and subsequent re-granulation, others with a valuable bio-acetate composed of cellulose and plasticizer originating mainly from renewable sources.The glasses will be completed with lenses made from partially bio-based materials or pure crystal.Also the packaging has been revised with this in mind and will be made of recycled polyester or paper.

The one just mentioned is a point on which the company is working not only for glasses, but also for other products:the goal is a progressive abandonment of single-use plastic.Collapsible boxes, i.e. foldable so that they take up less space, allow you to significantly reduce shipping volumes, as well as being totally recyclable.

Initiatives to reduce emissions that involve the entire group

Strategies have also been implemented in the headquarters and production centers of the Armani group to reduce the environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from production.Among the main measures adopted are the use of recycled paper and waste sorting, the reduction of energy consumption with better regulation of the heating and air conditioning systems, the introduction of a photovoltaic system in the via Bergognone complex and the use of electric transport for travel between the various offices in Milan.

Finally, all the Italian companies in the group use energy coming exclusively from sources renewable, a commitment that will progressively be extended to branches and sales points in other countries.Examples of excellence are the points of sale Armani Outlet Green with a concept inaugurated in 2019 in Sanremo and Hong Kong:created exclusively according to sustainability principles, these spaces are characterized by versatile exhibition structures that can be easily modified over time.

Strong relationships with its stakeholders and a constant monitoring of the supply chain are fundamental for the Armani group, among the signatories of the Fashion pact, an agreement with which fashion companies commit to reducing the footprint of one of the most polluting industries that exist.

Commitment to environmental and social sustainability

There are many important initiatives from the point of view of protecting the environment and human rights that Giorgio Armani has chosen to support over the years.In 2006 he declared to the World economic forum of Davos his support for (PRODUCT)^RED, an initiative to support the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.In 2010 he launched the project Water for life in collaboration with L'Oréal and partners such as Green Cross International and Unicef, while the following year it started the collaboration with the J/P Haitian relief organization, founded by Sean Penn with the aim of helping the Haitian population following the tragic earthquake that hit the Caribbean country.

In 2016 he finally confirmed the establishment of the Giorgio Armani Foundation for the implementation of projects of public and social utility with the aim of ensuring the stability of the group's governance structures over time, in compliance with the principles underlying his activity as a designer and entrepreneur.His profound commitment to social responsibility and respect for the territory earned him the appointment as CEO ambassador of responsible tourism by the United Nations.

Emporio Armani has reaffirmed its active involvement in sustainable development with a plan dedicated to the expansion of greenery in nine areas of the globe where the brand is present and operates, starting from Milan with support for the project Forest me.

The courage to go against the grain

It is essential that the change involves figures like Giorgio Armani and realities like his, precisely because fashion plays a crucial role in saving the Planet.Small and large businesses can make a difference, famous and ordinary people can make a difference, no matter what.Also Lewis Hamilton, whose sport is highly polluting, has decided to participate in the fight for the defense of natural resources anyway.Because the truth is that everyone can – or rather, must – participate.Even at the cost of appearing hypocritical.The battle will not be won by pointing the finger at those who make mistakes, or by waiting for everything to be perfect.Because it never will be.You will win by finding the courage to start from where you can.You know, they say that life is that thing that happens while you're busy making plans.The coronavirus pandemic has upset every plan, perhaps for this reason too it is the right opportunity to stop thinking, but finally start acting.Stop being afraid and start getting involved.A bit like Giorgio Armani who, at the age of 87, found the courage to go against the rules, just like he did with his jacket when it all began.