Born in 1934 in Piacenza, Italy, Giorgio Armani started from humble beginnings, developing a passion for theatre and cinema from an early age. During his early career he worked briefly as an assistant photographer before being promoted to work in the style office of La Rinascente, a Milanese department store. By the 1960’s, without any formal training, Armani’s creative talent had already led him to design a line of men’s wear for Nino Cerruti; he progressed from there, and by the early 1970’s had become a freelance fashion designer and consultant. From there it was only a short step to his first major cat walk show at the prestigious Sala Bianca in Florence, which was greeted with great enthusiasm. From this point, Giorgio Armani went from strength to strength, and in 1982, he became the first fashion designer to appear on the cover of Time magazine since Christian Dior in the 1940s - a true reflection of his status as a fashion icon.
