In the world of fashion — men’s fashion, certainly — few legacies loom larger than Giorgio Armani’s. Despite the namesake founder’s passing last year, the brand remains not just a titan of industry, but the reputable owner of what is perhaps the most robust menswear archive in existence.
What’s more, the brand’s decades’ worth of lauded designs have never been so popular, or, increasingly, coveted on the secondary markets. Popularized in the ’80s via films like American Gigolo and The Untouchables, Armani’s signature “deconstructed” suiting — dusky, soft-shouldered, tonal and oh-so-relaxed — has found new life in modernity, with oversized blazers and drapey trousers fetching hundreds on resale platforms and in vintage stores, if you can even find them. As they say in Hollywood, IP is king, and the Armani braintrust remains blockbuster stuff.
This flood of interest has not gone unnoticed by Armani. To the delight of newly minted fans and veteran collectors alike, the brand announced a fresh batch of Armani/Archivo apparel, released in coordination with Milan Design Week and buoyed by an invitation-only talk series that includes the likes of Throwing Fits.
Originally launched in 2025 to celebrate Giorgio Armani’s fiftieth anniversary, the Archivo project, nominally “conceived to preserve and enhance the brand’s heritage,” offers a unique opportunity — faithful (and shoppable) reproductions of historic pieces from Giorgio Armani collections.
The curated collection — the second chapter of ARMANI/Archivio, spanning 1979 to 1994 — includes a relatively scant 13 looks across both men’s and women’s and is quintessential Armani. Instantly recognizable design codes are plentiful; a heavy lean on the brand’s in-demand classic fare feels serendipitous, if not smartly calculated.
There are loose, pinstriped tailoring (the conceptual mantra Past Perfect. Future Ready refers to the designer’s iconic jackets) and boxy bombers tucked into full, pleated trousers, in an array of khakis, tans, creams and, naturally, greys. Apparel you might expect to see on an Instagram moodboard or red carpet, or, if you’re lucky, score for cheap with a lowball eBay bid.
In keeping with the referential apparel, the campaign, a glossy spread styled and lensed by Eli Russell Linnetz, the creative director and designer of the sexed-up, downtown-cool label ERL, pays clear and distinctive homage to the “monolithic characters” Aramini created and deployed across his decades-long career.
The images read as a louche evocation of classic Armani advertisements of yore, with lanky models lounging in tonal bombers and flowing tailoring, sporting caps reminiscent of dynastic socialites and attitudes best described as nonplused. In essence, the perfect poster for the Armani archetype —sophisticated, a bit sexy and, above all, unbothered. With the price tag to match, of course.
The collection is available to shop now, across Armani and select retailers like Mytheresa.
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