Designer Giorgio Armani is dead at 91. A look back at the 'king' of Italian fashion

"It all began with the jacket. Giorgio Armani twisted and bruised the angular piece of clothing - tearing out the padding, adjusting the proportions, moving the buttons - until he was left with something supple as a cardigan, light as a shirt. "Removing all rigidity from the garment and discovering an unexpected naturalness," as he put it years later. "It was the starting point for everything that came after." His 1970s reimagining of the jacket - a study in nonchalance - was to be his statement of purpose as a fashion designer."

"Elegance, he argued, meant simplicity. That principle, applied to great acclaim over a five-decade-long career, would produce bestselling minimalist suits and turn his eponymous brand into a vast conglomerate producing haute couture, prêt-à-porter, perfumes and home interiors."

"Armani has died, aged 91, the Armani company said of its founder and CEO on Thursday, without giving a cause of death. "He worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects," the company said. The funeral would be held privately, it added."

Giorgio Armani transformed a rigid, padded jacket into a soft, unstructured silhouette by removing padding, altering proportions and relocating buttons, producing a garment as supple as a cardigan and as light as a shirt. His 1970s reimagining embodied nonchalance and established simplicity as the core of elegance. Over a five-decade career he created bestselling minimalist suits and expanded the brand into haute couture, prêt-à-porter, perfumes and home interiors, helping to globalize contemporary Italian fashion. He combined creative flair with meticulous business management, maintained company independence with trusted family and associates, and died aged 91.

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