Last August, Giorgio Armani launched Armani/Archivio, a project which will see the Italian fashion house’s extensive archive digitised and open to the world to peruse (over 200 physical collections and 30,000 pieces feature so far). Then, it was a celebration of 50 years in business; after Mr Armani’s death in September that same year, it stands as a testament to his enduring principles of timeless style.
‘Consistency to me is a virtue, not least because it allows one to grow and change within a definite frame,’ he said when he guest-edited the October 2022 issue of Wallpaper*. ‘That, for me, is way more effective than flipping ideas every six months. Something is reassuring and even strengthening to sticking to one’s guns.’
Now, an evolution of the Armani/Archivio project puts those principles into practice: 13 men’s and women’s looks, spanning the years 1979–1994 are being reissued by the house, photographed in an accompanying campaign by the multi-hyphenate American fashion designer Eli Russell Linnetz, whose nostalgia-tinged work riffs on the breezy 1980s style of his native Californian (he was born, and remains based, in Venice, Los Angeles).
‘Mr Armani is one of the greatest artists of our time. He changed the way we live our lives every day and what we aspire to become, and his legacy is something the rest of us are still learning from,’ says Linnetz, who has previously collaborated with Dior, been a guest designer at menswear fair Pitti Uomo, and won the Karl Lagerfeld award at the 2022 LVMH Prize.
‘These Archivio pieces feel as alive today as the day they were made because he designed his work to be eternally impactful,’ he continues. ‘As a designer, to handle these garments and understand how they were made has been both a great education and a gift, and to photograph them, as part of the long lineage of photographers who have been part of the Armani universe, was a privilege I will carry with me for a very long time.’
The various looks span decades but are united by Mr Armani’s fluid line and streamlined vision of Italian elegance. For women, there is a single-breasted, collarless blazer from S/S 1979, its sleeves cut to recall the sleeve of a shirt (it featured in Vogue that same year, and would help propel the designer to international fame), while a broad-shouldered blouson from 1983 captures his take on the amped-up glamour of the decade. A series of pieces from the house’s S/S 1990 also feature.
Though it is perhaps the menswear which is most appealing (such is the cut of the pieces, the collection can easily be swapped between genders). A double-breasted S/S 1979 leather jacket and roomy double-pleat trousers feel entirely contemporary, while a series of neckties – including a bold, almost Memphis-inspired, printed tie from 1983 – echo a growing trend for the accessory. For those after tailoring, a three-piece suit from S/S 1990 and an elongated single-breasted blazer from S/S 1994 are typically Armani in their proportions.
It comes at a time when the designer’s influence feels ubiquitous on the runway, with tailoring following his louche, unencumbered line and broad-shouldered silhouette. Anthony Vaccarrello’s A/W 2024 menswear collection for Saint Laurent was an ode to Mr Armani’s costumes for Richard Gere in American Gigolo (1980), while the 2025 LVMH Prize Winner Soshi Otsuki – who recently undertook a high-profile collaboration with Zara – has cited the designer as a defining influence.
Indeed, there is a thriving resale market for Giorgio Armani, one which has been steadily rising but spiked after the designer’s death in September 2025. Searches for ‘Armani’ on resale app Vinted tripled, while US retailer The RealReal said searches went up 212 per cent. The trend has even spawned an Instagram account, @myarmaniarchive, which at the time of writing has just over 30,000 followers.
Giorgio Armani Armani/Archivio is available from Armani’s website as well as selected boutiques worldwide. A dedicated installation, featuring a program of events by podcast Throwing Fits, will run at the Giorgio Armani boutique on Via Sant'Andrea in Milan.
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