Giorgio Armani: A Tribute in Cloth

Giorgio Armani reshaped the expectations placed on cloth and tailoring. His soft, unstructured jackets offered an alternative to the rigid forms that preceded him. This had consequences for clothmakers, for tailors and for the mills that supply them. He quietly demanded better ­ he wanted cloth that behaved well when it was cut in a new way. He wanted cloth that could hold a shape while feeling—above all—natural.

At Fox Brothers we work in a language of cloth that values provenance and craft. Armani shared a similar reverence for the line between the hand and the finished piece. He showed how careful cutting and an instinctive understanding of weight and fall could alter a mood. His influence pushed us all to think about cloth differently, to imagine softer silhouettes without loss of authority.

We will remember him for his exacting eye and for the many small innovations he introduced to modern tailoring. We will keep making cloth that answers a question he posed, namely how to make simplicity feel considered. Our thoughts are with his family, his colleagues and with the many tailors and makers who will carry his lessons forward.

Giorgio Armani at Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, Milan, 10 September 2009.

Photo by Bruno Cordioli, licensed under CC BY 2.0.