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Who will succeed Giorgio Armani?

By Don-Alvin Adegeest

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Fashion

In July 2016 Giorgio Armani created a foundation with the aim to ensure continuity of the Armani empire and allow for a course of succession with the Fondazione Giorgio Armani.

But a year later, the succession plan or indeed the successor's name, remains shrouded in mystery as to what that strategy or person could be.

While it is not in good taste and a sensitive topic to discuss the brand's future while its founder is very much at its helm, continuing the lineage of a fashion empire that is on its way to grow to 3 billion euros in sales is not a last minute decision.

And so the topic will remain on the surface, as it did last month in the Financial Times fashion supplement when Armani Prive showed its couture collection in Paris. When prompted to answer the near unaskable question, Mr Armani stated the news would be "made at the appropriate time."

Mr Armani, who turned 83 on 11 July, has carefully planned the company's future creative strategy with Pantaleo Dell'Orco, his right hand man, and Irving Bellotti, a financier with Roschild last year with the Fondazione Giorgio Armani. The board of the company's directors and the foundation are set with the task to keep Giorgio Armani S.p.a. without distributing or diluting profits but to grow the company as well as further its institutional and non-profit endeavors.

But other than the creation of a foundation, no future for the Giorgio Armani empire has been made public. "Everything is under control, what will happen will be made known at the right time. I work with so many people, but in the end who decides is me."

Photo credit: Giorgio Armani photographed by Jan Schroeder, source Wikimedia Commons

Giorgio Armani