On the occasion of the shows happening during the Milan Fashion Week, Lampoon retraces the values of Giorgio Armani, from sustainability to civil commitment. Analog photography Alex Black
The sustainable textile industry and circular economy: Armani endeavors
For decades the Armani Group has presented a long-standing commitment to environmental social and ethical issues. The attention to the environment in particular, together with the responsible use of natural resources are topics close to Armani, who faces sustainable topics, such as the sustainable textile industry, as the traceability of the whole process from raw material to end of product life. It is an ethical issue even before being strategic.
For the designer, the consumer must be educated through the quality and the transparency of the product. Today, even though technologies facilitate the transition from fabric to yarns, what Armani aims for is the use of natural fibers and the selection of raw materials with low environmental impact. In addition, many researches have been conducted for the introduction of materials from recovery of production waste. Earth is not only a planet, it is our home, our matter.
Sustainability is a subject which concerns everyone. Big corporations influence the public through their choices and communication, but for Armani the attention and awareness of the topic should be a starting point for an empathy towards our surroundings, with consumers keeping consumers more responsible and business to produce more responsibly. To do so, everyone should be cooperating in finding shared solutions. Looking at fashion from a Sustainable textile industry perspective, and reflecting at the same time a common desire to be a responsible industry. Giorgio Armani still tackles issues such as damaged marine forest ecosystems, global warming, as well as water shortages.
Emporio Armani: The Falck Foundation and FS Sistemi Urbani, ForestaMI. A new energy, a circular economy and a sustainable textile industry
The European water sector is a major player, and an investment in water could be the engine that accelerates economic growth, together with the responsible use of tap water and reusable water bottle, which reduce impact on the environment. Everything that surrounds us is an archive of what our lives have been and are today. According to the designer, people should invest in green cities as well as a sustainable textile industry. Planting trees and supporting the growth of green areas is both an ethical value and a financial investment for the safety of our future. A new energy, a circular economy which forces people to rethink everything. An example of a forestation project in Milan is ForestaMi, which the Armani Group has been supporting.
Born from the research of Politecnico di Milano with the Falck Foundation and FS Sistemi Urbani, ForestaMI aims to involve the participation of both public and private entities with the aim of planting, by 2030, 3 million new trees in the city. The presence of trees in metropolitan areas helps to regulate the climate, enhancing the reabsorption of rainwater and strong winds. Energy costs are reduced because the presence of the trees helps to regulate the heating and cooling of buildings. Mr. Armani looks for a society where human and nature could live together, in a coexistence of nature and architecture, for the safety of people from all the future effects of disaster.
The city, the origin and headquarter of Giorgio Armani
«Print is substantial, and made to stay: we have to preserve and support it». Emporio Armani is known for its contributions to print media and visual cultures. Since the Eighties, the label’s signature communication style developed on billboards in Milan and through the voice of Emporio Armani Magazine.
The city, the origin and headquarter of Giorgio Armani, is a place where cultures come together, an inspiration for Armani himself and for society. Each trend emerges from the concept of society; having similar perceptions and emotions in different countries, which can be combined together to then aspire to a connectedness. A celebration of the principles of identity, community and sustainability, which are still at the heart of the brand, are as relevant in 1981 as they are today.
Emporio Armani Magazine, about ethics and aesthetics
To mark the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Emporio Armani, a special collectable issue of Emporio Armani Magazine was released on September 23rd , 2022. This is the nineteenth Armani special under the guidance of Rosanna Armani with the art directed by Christoph Radl and the creative consultancy from Antonio Moscogiuri.
Originally, Emporio Armani Magazine was born as an extension of Westudd, an art magazine founded in Florence in 1984.
The paper not only explored the world of Armani but also addressed current and changing issues through reportage and photographs belonging to names like Peter Lindbergh and Aldo Fallai. Giorgio Armani was a forerunner in desiring that big brands create their own content: the inclusive spirit spawned a visionary publication in the form of a biannual magazine.
Nineteen issues have been published between 1988 and 1998. To celebrate his 40th anniversary, Armani decided to bring his newspaper back to newsstands, twenty-three years after its last edition. Entitled The Way We Are, the special edition is a fusion of fashion and editorials with contributions from a host of international collaborators and authors. Six photographers – Aldo Fallai, Max Vadukul, Julia Hetta, Nico Bustos, Matthew Brookes and Brett LIoyd – interpreted the Emporio Armani collections in the pages of the Magazine. The six fashion spreads are introduced, each by a short story written by film critic Mariarosa Mancuso, adding another narrative aura to the cinematic quality of the images.
The cover image of Mars, along with the current relevance of the planet, is central to the magazine’s content and the world of Armani. ‘Living in the moment’ has been an omnipresent theme in the Armani world: to live life to its fullest, you must be aware of the past. The Magazine explores this topic through words and images, simultaneously remaining faithful to the core Emporio philosophy: be the change you want to see.
The intense and varied series of activities underscores the dynamic and democratic spirit of the Maison, its ethics and aesthetics, which since 1981, has echoed and interpreted the way people live in metropolitan cities. «I first started Emporio Armani as a way to channel my aesthetic of elegance and simplicity in a youthful, metropolitan direction, and it soon became known for its own distinctive look», affirms Mr. Armani. Also mentioning Armani’s devotion to sustainable practices and a sustainable textile industry.
Armani: The Way We Are exhibition and the Armani ethics and aesthetics in a circular economy system
Armani Silos hosts four decades of Armani’s history, showcased through clothes, images and videos, summarizing its spirit, ethics and aesthetics.
Designed and curated by Giorgio Armani, the exhibition presents a selection of materials from the historical archive of the Maison. The itinerary tells the origins and evolution of Emporio Armani, emphasizing its revolutionary relationship with the world of communication and images and the circular economy. Divided by themes, The Way We Are is conceived ad hoc for the Armani / Silos space, structured as a free path made up of images, videos and a selection of clothes from the origins to the present day. It was in 1981 when Giorgio Armani realized that fashion was often a far reach from people’s everyday life, especially the younger ones.
This is why the designer decided to make his fashion as inclusive as possible, addressing the new generations directly and creating a more contemporary, urban, democratic and accessible line: he gave life to Emporio Armani, offering collections with a capable approach, from mix streetwear to elegance, sobriety, modernity and dynamism, all with affordable prices. «When I moved to Milan, I got to observe people. Milan at the time was a bursting, innovative city, and people were constantly on the lookout for something new», states Armani.
Alex Black analog photography
Alex Black is a Canadian Director and Photographer living in Paris. Having lived as both a chameleon and an outsider in different cities since a young age, she learned to embrace novelty under parameters of familiarity, balancing conformity with radical self-expression to question the status quo. Famous for his Analog Photography.
Cecilia Falovo
