Armani

"Similarly, Kroll was commissioned by LVMH to obtain information on other competitors, such as Hermès, Versace, Ferragamo, or Armani. Regarding Domenico De Sole, the investigations that Kroll is conducting at the request of LVMH go far beyond9."

"They’ll say “I don’t understand, why are people paying all this money for Armani clothes — they don’t seem any better than what I can get at BHS,” and they genuinely don’t really understand all that social mediation of one-upmanship. As a result, there’s an argument, which this fantastic guy … who’s name I have now completely forgotten and I’ll remember shortly * … his point is that we ought to research those people because there is something that is instinctive in 98% of humans which isn’t shared here."

"Ray-Ban, like Persol and dozens of the most famous luxury brands from Armani to Prada, is part of the lines produced by Luxottica under the careful guidance of an entrepreneur who, if he had been born in New York, would fully represent the American dream of the self-made man."

""Glasses for me are the complement of a style, a mirror of the personality. I prefer them light, with an essential design and never invasive. Only in this way do they become one with the person wearing them, a light filter to capture the smallest of nuances, the frame through which to observe the world," he recounted in 2021 at the presentation of the Icon model. Armani becomes the flagship brand of the group."

"Armani, who with Del Vecchio established a partnership in the eighties that transformed the world of optics into a fashion sector, tells me about the energy of that period. "Our generation lived through hard times that toughened it: the years of war and reconstruction. At one point there was nothing, and you had to start from scratch, and this scenario offered a lot of possibilities," he explains. "The memories I have of Milan at the start of my career I would compare to a blank sheet on which each of us could write a paragraph or an entire story. We were aware of the usefulness of what we were doing, day after day, building. Those were unforgettable years, full of energy.""

"Armani has remained an independent white fly, along with a few other Italian brands, in a luxury world dominated by global leaders. The French of LVMH and Kering, the Swiss of Richemont have acquired dozens of Italian brands over the years. The fear is that, sooner or later, even Armani may be absorbed into a global group. King George denies it, even though in 2021 he opens up to the possibility of a financial partner."

"However, Armani wants a closer relationship and to seal the collaboration he asks for a stake in the company: first he enters with 2%, then 3%, and finally, 5%. We know how much Mister Del Vecchio is protective of his creation and the shareholdings, so it takes time to get him over the hurdle of letting a new partner in. Armani represents a turning point for Leonardo. It allows the "mountaineers" of Agordo to associate with the coolest designer in the world, Leonardo Del Vecchio to become a protagonist in fashion in the city where he grew up in poverty, to enter through the main door at Fashion week shows. Armani will also enter the board of directors of Luxottica. "The success and innovative dimension of the business, both in production and distribution, with the pioneering opening towards emerging markets, convinced me, as well as the entrepreneurial vision of Leonardo Del Vecchio.""

"Armani explains it to me simply. "My personal adventure as a designer and entrepreneur was already underway, and I had begun to extend my aesthetic to various areas, including eyewear. It was then that I identified Luxottica as the company with the right know-how to realize what I had in mind. It was a fortunate meeting: I would do what I did best, which is creativity, Del Vecchio would perfectly manufacture the product. We both understood that glasses, from simple functional objects, would become indispensable fashion accessories. And so it has been." The licensing agreement is signed, a contract typified by Armani himself in the clothing industry, which provides for a percentage, the so-called royalties in favor of the designer, generally 10%."

"Del Vecchio also brings the brand back to the eyeglasses sector. Complicit in the breakup with Armani, he transfers the collections towards the Ray-Ban world."

"Essentially, he has the opportunity to transform a "commodity" product into a customized one, a fortune that happens to few entrepreneurs, who often, instead, are forced to fight in a context that levels profits rather than expanding them. Some negotiations are initiated with fashion groups, leading up to meeting Armani. The Milanese designer had had negative experiences with other producers in prior years who did not guarantee him adequate quality. A very tough negotiation begins, which lasts for months, with Chemello and Francavilla going back and forth between Agordo and Milan to discuss with Armani's lawyer."

"There is a happy ending to the divorce between two of the greatest entrepreneurs of our country. "I realized how the high manufacturing quality, the attention to detail, and the combination of technology and craftsmanship ensured by Luxottica, in addition to the market penetration capacity, were unparalleled. This brought back the desire to collaborate, and the renewed successes were confirmation that it was the right choice," Armani says to me. Under the guidance of Andrea Guerra, Luxottica ten years later wins back King George."

"Men obsessed by their own companies, much more than a workplace, authentic creations molded in their own image and likeness, entrepreneurs who have no intention of letting go of the reins, even when they have long passed eighty. The photo of Armani intent on arranging the clot"

"In 1978, Diane Keaton appeared at the Oscar ceremony to receive the award for Best Actress for Annie Hall by Woody Allen, wearing an Armani dress. Two years later, Richard Gere in American Gigolo wears only Armani clothes. Milan is then inaugurated as a fashion city, on par with Paris, London, and New York. "We were in the midst of recovery after the dark period of the Seventies," Armani tells me in an interview for this book. "They were optimistic years, carefree, which saw the fashion system established and the first appearance of words, objects, and habits that still today determine our daily lives." Among the objects that change their "intended use," there are precisely the protagonists of our story: glasses."

"For Armani, the secret to the success of the collaboration with Del Vecchio lies in "having integrated glasses into the Armani world, giving these objects a very recognizable style connotation. My aesthetic vision, its authenticity, was immediately perceived, and Del Vecchio made it possible through the quality of the product.""

"What accounted for the success of a fashion that combined an attractive quality-price relationship with some design features that reminded, without a doubt, of the greats of the time? "Armani designs for you," a professional in the sector, an expert in luxury brands, told me, convinced of what he was saying when he saw me with a perfectly made Zara jacket, with an impeccable cut and a very characteristic fabric of this great designer. This jacket was one of my first purchases at Zara, which would become, as in the case of so many other women, one of my favorite stores."

"The yellow taxis resemble a lava stream flowing south along the one-way Fifth Avenue in New York. On the sidewalks, businessmen in Armani suits walk with a paper cup of coffee in one hand and a mobile phone in the other. This parade street is the address for some of Manhattan's biggest tourist attractions: Rockefeller Center and the circular architectural museum Guggenheim. At the corner of Fifth Avenue and 51st Street on the Upper West Side, H&M's team has finally found the perfect spot. On 3,000 square meters of retail space across three levels, New Yorkers will be offered departments for men, women, youth, and cosmetics. Large glass windows form an enticing front facing the street. It is not possible to find many more expensive retail addresses anywhere in the world. Right next door, the luxury brand Gucci has its store. Stefan Persson says in a radio interview that low-price H&M still becomes a good neighbor."