The exaggerated tailoring and fluid silhouettes of Giorgio Armani’s 1980s oeuvre provide the inspiration for a new unisex collection for the house, which launches exclusively in London department store Selfridges today (13 November 2023).
A rare collection from the house that spans mens and womenswear – traditionally, the house shows separate collections at the respective Milan Fashion Weeks – the pieces present ‘a modern notion of gender fluidity’ which nonetheless reflects the way Mr Armani’s designs have long been swapped between men and women.
Giorgio Armani’s 1980s-inspired unisex capsule
The collection features 1980s-inspired tailoring, like this double-breasted notched-lapel blazer above, available at Selfridges
As such, pieces return to the roots of Giorgio Armani – first founded in 1975 and finding cultural ubiquity in the 1980s – with gently oversized tailoring in cashmere and wool, fluid knife-pleat trousers, and a duo of double-breasted coats with shrunken lapels.
A slew of luxurious wardrobe essentials, from a lightweight cashmere-silk polo-neck sweater to a knit silk-cotton T-shirt and crisp poplin shirt, sit alongside. A typically Armani-esque palette of grey, beige, brown and black runs throughout, while stripe motifs appear across shirts and ties.
‘An expression of the brand's relaxed design philosophy and modern approach to traditional tailoring from which Giorgio Armani helped define a new era in design and form,’ describes the house of the collection. An accompanying campaign was photographed on the streets of London.
Gently oversized silhouettes and wide-leg trousers – recalling archival Giorgio Armani designs – also feature
‘This might sound rather obvious, but I constantly return to the softly tailored jacket,’ Mr Armani told Paul Smith in a conversation which ran in the October 2022 ‘Legends’ issue of Wallpaper*, guest-edited by the designer.
‘A jacket is an everyday item, a very pragmatic piece that nonetheless shows the immense power of clothing. It gives presence, stature and dignity. And it is one piece: you attain more with less.’
Giorgio Armani’s new unisex collection is available exclusively at Selfridges now. Later, in December, it will be available in Giorgio Armani’s Sloane Street store.
The collection is initially available exclusively at Selfridges, before appearing in the Giorgio Armani Sloane Street store this December
-
The Brazilian Forest House injects art into a modernist-inspired, contemporary designThe Brazilian Forest House, designed in upstate São Paulo by FGMF, brings together nature and art
-
Waiting room inspo: Inside Studioutte’s cinematic Sala D’Attesa at Milan Design WeekStudioutte’s Sala D’Attesa, staged in Nolo during Milan Design Week 2024, was a scenographic interior merging different design sensibilities
-
Bang & Olufsen’s Recreated Classics series continues with a CD player revivalBang & Olufsen’s Beosystem 9000c music system brings the original digital compact disc format back to life and pairs it with the latest in speaker design
-
The best fashion moments at Milan Design Week 2024Scarlett Conlon discovers the moments fashion met design at Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week 2024, as Loewe, Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Prada and more staged intriguing presentations and launches across the city
-
Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what Wallpaper* knows so farThe first details of Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2025 have been announced, including appearances from Paul Smith and Marine Serre at Pitti Uomo. In an ongoing round-up, here’s everything that Wallpaper* knows so far
-
Giorgio Armani celebrates the sensual, timeless photography of Aldo FallaiGiorgio Armani hosts a new exhibition at Milan’s Armani/Silos, celebrating three decades of the eponymous designer’s collaboration with photographer Aldo Fallai, which was marked by a focus on the liberated body
-
See in lawn tennis season with Giorgio Armani’s new Hurlingham Club collectionUpgrade your tennis whites with a new collection from Giorgio Armani, coinciding with The Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at London’s Hurlingham Club
-
From Giorgio Armani, a sensual holiday collection inspired by the seaGiorgio Armani Mare – meaning ‘sea’ in Italian – is a transporting men’s and womenswear collection made for summertime escapes
-
Giorgio Armani’s top ten creative inspirations, from Eileen Gray to Issey MiyakeAs part of his Wallpaper* October 2022 guest-edit, Giorgio Armani tells us about ten creatives that have inspired and energised him throughout his illustrious career
-
In conversation: when Giorgio Armani met Paul SmithAs part of our October 2022 issue, featuring guest editor Giorgio Armani, the two legendary fashion designers talk shop, discussing everything from role models and career highs to their strong Italian and British roots
-
Armani’s revamped London store houses fashion and interiors under one roof
