Giorgio Armani: fashion, cinema, “One Night Only Venice”

“La company changes and they have to change my clothes. It’s like I’m on a film set: the film is life and my clothes are its costumes». With this metaphor about one’s own style, Giorgio Armani already expressed his love for cinema in Made in Milan: docu-film dedicated to him by Martin Scorsese ten years after his “debut” in this world, with the unforgettable wardrobe designed for Richard Gere in American Gigolo.

Giorgio Armani and cinema, a requited love

In that 1990, Armani’s relationship with the Venice Film Festival was also born, Where Made in Milann was previewed with a big party hosted in Ca’Leone, on the Giudecca: a beautiful liaison that on 2 September, for the 80th anniversary of the Festival, the designer will pay homage with the One Night Only Venice event, preceded by an Alta Moda fashion show. A journey through the firmaments of stellar dresses and famous stars, where the designer takes us together with his niece Roberta Armani, who has been alongside her uncle since the 1990s and is now Head of Entertainment & Vip Relations.

Mr. Armani, you have always loved the silver screen. You explained to Corriere della Sera that «… Sunday lunches were the prelude to the moment in which my father let himself be persuaded by my brother and me and announced to us: let’s go to the cinema».
Giorgio Armani. Those moments of sharing are indelible memories, with my father who kept us in suspense until the last moment. He stayed at the table reading the newspaper, pretending nothing happened and when he gave in and gave his permission, handing over the few lire, it was happiness. The relationship with cinema was born then, remaining very strong and marking the stages of my career in fashion, enriching my imagination, shaping my way of communicating.

Roberta, has this universe always been important to you?
Robert Armani. Sure: I remember the family stories of my uncle’s collaborations with great actors and directors, the first films seen with best friends. A world in which I was naturally immersed and which fascinated me more and more, so much so that I dreamed of becoming part of it.

Which film career would she have chosen, perhaps the actress?
RA I really think so. Actually I’ve also acted in some films and I have a wonderful memory of that experience where I put myself on the line, in complete freedom. Small roles in big titles: Hannibal by Ridley Scott, Mary Magdalene by Raffaele Mertes e They called them… brigands! by Pasquale Squitieri. Then I preferred a different path and, today, I know I made the right choice.

Mr. Armani, Mr Made in Milan he explained that he would have conquered a career as a director if he hadn’t undertaken that of a stylist: are they similar worlds?
GA There are many meeting points between fashion and cinema, at least as I understand fashion and “doing fashion”. Over the years I have defined an entire lifestyle: a sort of large “set” in which people who love my style freely choose clothes to wear, furnishings for their homes, hotels to stay in. The story develops gradually, an unknown factor that I find highly stimulating.

In the period in which your collaboration was in great demand, how did you manage the work? And what names inspired you?
GA The organization was actually perfect, because I was involved in the planning phase together with the director. Characters like Lauren Hutton or Diane Keaton have instead inspired my way of seeing women’s fashion, adding a masculine trait: women with a strong personality, like the ones I’ve been addressing since the beginning. In the same way, actors like Richard Gere have embodied my vision of a more relaxed and aware masculinity, less a victim of schemes and impositions.

His milestone was American Gigoloin 1980. What did that film teach you?
GA By now it is a classic of cinematography. In addition to the captivating unscrupulousness of the direction, it marked a watershed between a certain rigidity in dressing and a new ease: men have begun to reawaken their cult of form, their vanity. And in the film, this male narcissism appears in its sexiest form, underlined by the entire wardrobe: Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton didn’t wear costumes, but clothes from collections found in boutiques. He created a phenomenon, the public could have those clothes. A collaboration that gave me confidence, the certainty that I had something good to say.

Roberta, in those years she was a child, do you still have memories about it?
RA I have a clear image of my uncle intent on drawing at his work table in the early 80s, the period of his rise as a stylist – also with the cinema – starting right from American Gigolo. From there it was natural to find myself among actors, international directors and extremely talented people. In childhood memories, the uncle and the designer overlap, and the world of cinema is a bright outline.

In 1990, for the first time in Venice with Made in Milan. What remains of that moment and how it relates to the fashion show One Night Only Venice?
GA It undoubtedly remains a beautiful memory. I never imagined being able to present in Venice a short film made with Martin Scorsese about my life and my work. But I’m not nostalgic: with One Night Only I don’t want to recall, but celebrate my love for cinema with a special fashion show.

RA For me it is a magical memory: seeing my uncle’s work transformed into a film by a great director was an absolute emotion. An opportunity that stimulated my passion for cinema and the decision to work with stars.

Cate Blanchett certainly stands out among your “muses”. Is it always an immediate exchange with all of them?
GA Finding each other is an instant, a click, a falling in love that feeds on mutual knowledge and trust. The work of the selection arises from the encounter between the wishes of the character and proposals studied taking into account their personality, but also the nature of the brand. Cate Blanchett is a perfect example of this understanding, she has always worn our creations in a memorable way, on every occasion. All celebrities who wear Armani are like this: if their image is enhanced, their light will also illuminate our world .

RA The idea of ​​recognizing each other, not merely “using” each other, is what distinguishes Armani in the mare magnum of red carpet dressing. Our maison puts personality before everything else: collaborations based on a relationship of esteem and knowledge, even in the mutual and indisputable gain of image.

Many celebrities are now your “friends”: a personal satisfaction, and not just a professional one…
GA: Meeting each star is an extraordinary human experience. Personally I am attracted by the variety of characters and the exchange that is created with who we dress. My idea of ​​the red carpet is always a dialogue, I chose actors and actresses to dress mainly for their humanity, their character and their charisma.

RA The most difficult experiences, those that require a greater use of human energies, are certainly also the most gratifying. Eventually you discover that dialogue is all that matters, an art that requires attitude and empathy: traits I’ve honed over the years.

Dreaming of the past, you may have thought about which stars you would have liked to collaborate with…
GA In the cinema of the golden age, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich: nonconformist divas, capable of playing subtly with the ambiguity of dress.

RA I would have liked to meet Marilyn Monroe, an icon of femininity. I’m sure it would have been a surprising comparison.

Today, many exhibitions and books focus on divas and stardom. How have you seen this world change?
GA The stardom of the golden age was the creation of an unattainable myth. I entered this reality at a breaking point: the myth remained, but its “human” nature was more perceptible, leading to new and more essential parameters, including aesthetic ones, even for divas like Sophia Loren. Today it has become a complex industry, sometimes chaotic, but one that still has a strong hold on the public.

RA Now there are many figures involved in the construction of a star’s image, sometimes to the detriment of immediacy and their authenticity. A real business has been created around the stars, even stylists sometimes become celebrities. A media success of great expectations, because the economic interests are enormous. But we maintain the desire for discussion, the strangest requests become stimuli in a work that will always remain “tailor-made”: the only way to be effective.

Sonia Bergamasco, godmother at the 2016 Venice Film Festival, spoke of Roberta’s discretion and empathy: an excellent spokesperson for the authority and style created by Mr. Armani, defined as a master, artist and craftsman. How has your synergy evolved?
RA We have an understanding that goes beyond words, made up of looks and great complicity. My uncle trusts me: it’s a stimulus, but also a responsibility. He knows that I will be able to bring home the result that gratifies him.

GA My trust in Roberta is unconditional. Over the years it was she, with her feminine delicacy, who expanded our knowledge by creating lasting bonds. I trust her eye and her capacity for dialogue: they are a necessary completion of my stylistic vision.

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