Remembering Giorgio Armani: Lessons in style and discipline

The death of Giorgio Armani feels personal to me. In 1997, I moved to London as a 24-year-old student and took a Saturday job at Armani’s flagship store in Knightsbridge. It was a masterclass in retail excellence at a time when the brand was at one of its peaks. The store could easily take in 100,000 pounds a day, but what stayed with me wasn’t just the sales, it was Armani’s philosophy.

Armani taught me that restraint is powerful. Stacks of sweaters never exceeded six; no more than three of the same garment were hung in a row. These weren’t arbitrary rules, they were lessons in clarity, balance, and the discipline of minimalism. The store layout itself was like a silent manifesto: beauty comes from what you leave out.

There were human lessons too. Armani was the first luxury house in Knightsbridge to close its doors on the day Princess Diana died, with the boutique’s windows quickly filled with flowers and photographs. For a young fashion professional, it showed me that a brand isn’t only about image, it’s also about values and how you respond to the world outside your doors.

Armani will rightly be remembered as Italy’s most successful designer, for revolutionising wardrobes with the deconstructed suit, and for cementing his place in pop culture through cinema and celebrity. But for me, his influence was far more immediate: he taught me that discipline and consistency are as important as creativity. That a navy T-shirt and perfectly cut wool trousers can be as expressive as any flamboyant look. That real style endures when it is pared back, intentional, and uncompromising.

Many tributes will measure Armani in wealth, awards, or his global empire. I measure him in something quieter: the precision of a folded sweater, the confidence of clean lines, and the belief that restraint, carried out with conviction, can be transformative.

RIP Mr Armani.