Farewell to Giorgio Armani: the fashion icon and his love for Pantelleria

Giorgio Armani passed away at the age of 91 on 4 September 2025, surrounded by his dearest loved ones.
The news has sparked unanimous sorrow across the worlds of fashion, cinema and culture.

A designer, entrepreneur and innovator, Armani redefined the very notion of sobriety and refinement through essential lines and fluid cuts.
From haute couture to prêt-à-porter, from interior design to hospitality, his creative universe consistently upheld a rare balance between restraint, quality and modernity.

His bond with Pantelleria began in the late 1970s.
At first, the island appeared to him as harsh and unwelcoming; over time, however, Armani recognised its authentic beauty and the powerful silence of its volcanic landscape.
Here he purchased and restored several dammusi, creating a retreat where Mediterranean simplicity met architectural rigour.

Between Cala Gadir and the island’s inland hills, the dammusi became an oasis of greenery among palm trees, vineyards and the island’s fragrances.
Not merely a private hideaway: rather, a tangible dialogue with the territory, built on care, restoration and respect for the local community.

Armani’s legacy is not solely stylistic: it is also an invitation to restraint, to the attention to detail and to a beauty that never needed to shout.
Elegance, discretion, responsibility: key words of a legacy that transcends the catwalks.

Colleagues, actresses and lifelong friends have shared messages of gratitude and affection for a man who dressed the world while never ceasing to listen to it.
His figure will remain a point of reference for new generations of designers and creatives, who see in him a model of consistency and expressive freedom.
His vision will continue to live not only in archives and collections, but also in the very idea of fashion as a universal language.