Giorgio Armani - passe and irrelevant ?

[Arturo21]

BrothaG - Believe me, people with my viewpoint DESPISE logo.

Kit - I'm really sorry, I think you're not really liking the turnout of this discussion . I don't know which Girbaud we're seeing. For example, I saw an interesting piece from Girbaud in Arena Homme + magazine that was black and left me baffled, because it wasn't the Girbaud I knew at all...

Now, here and in South America. Here, in the U.S. Girbaud is "Rapper style". It's what all the ghetto wannabes wear. Flashy lots-of-logo shirts and spray painted pants (Logo is spray painted on them), extremely baggy, etc.

In Venezuela, Girbaud is "trendy", it's just like Diesel. Crinkled black button downs, slim fitting whiskered jeans, trendy logo t-shirts, the people who wear it are the people I know there. The rich trendy Venezuelan upper class. It's just like Diesel, and everybody's wearing it. Over there, if you can't afford it, go downtown and they'll sell crappy imitations with logos all over them too. So, it's at a point where EVERYONE is wearing it, fake or real.

In either case, it makes Versace look safe, sleek, and understated.

 

[kit]

BrothaG - Believe me, people with my viewpoint DESPISE logo.

Kit - I'm really sorry, I think you're not really liking the turnout of this discussion . I don't know which Girbaud we're seeing. For example, I saw an interesting piece from Girbaud in Arena Homme + magazine that was black and left me baffled, because it wasn't the Girbaud I knew at all...

Now, here and in South America. Here, in the U.S. Girbaud is "Rapper style". It's what all the ghetto wannabes wear. Flashy lots-of-logo shirts and spray painted pants (Logo is spray painted on them), extremely baggy, etc.

In Venezuela, Girbaud is "trendy", it's just like Diesel. Crinkled black button downs, slim fitting whiskered jeans, trendy logo t-shirts, the people who wear it are the people I know there. The rich trendy Venezuelan upper class. It's just like Diesel, and everybody's wearing it. Over there, if you can't afford it, go downtown and they'll sell crappy imitations with logos all over them too. So, it's at a point where EVERYONE is wearing it, fake or real.

In either case, it makes Versace look safe, sleek, and understated.

No , No , Not at all , Arturo , If I'm generating discussion , then that's my aim . B) ( I am a schoolmaster , after all !!! ) .

Have you ever browsed this site ?

http://www.marithefrancoisgirbaud.com/

Are the clothes here the same as in the USA and Venezuela ?

ON TOPIC , Armani Collezioni , is also only a licence , and I have read that the line distributed in the USA is manufactured there .
In Europe , the licence is held by a large multi-brand manufacturer which has an independent design team that merely picks up on trends in the Black Label and Emporio collections , and which , ironically , are the only ones into which Giorgio Armani has any direct design input .

I've also read that there is a line called MANI that is made only for the USA and made in China .

What surprises me is that Armani has retained control of his cachet , unlike Pierre Cardin and , in its latterdays , Yves Saint Laurent , who prostituted themselves to licencees . Pierre Cardin is just a dirty word in Europe now , and it was only after Tom and Dom at Gucci bought back pretty much all of the many licencees , that they could then go forward and relaunch the brand as a valid , top of the line , luxury label .( Although I have my own views on the Ford designs ! innocent:

 

[beaverhausen]

I don't see why fashion always has to be original and renewing. Many brands that are constantly trying to be 'original', are in my opinion designing many pathetic pieces that are purely created to attract the eye of fashion victims.
What's wrong with brands that perhaps do not always design extremely extravagant clothes, but clothes that are stylish and that can actually be worn, both casual and formal?
Why the need to show people that you're "into fashion and full of great taste" by wearing clothes that are screaming "look at me, I'm in need of attention, and better yet, look at the 30 brand names that cover my shirt! I AM ORIGINAL!".

I'd say you're better off with a really stylish shirt or dress that actually reflects your style -doesn't mean it can't be fashionable!-, instead of copying anything some designer idiots do. Sure, there are tons of designers that design fashionable pieces that will look good on you, but no need to walk the streets with the most sick looking pieces just because that's what's hot according to designers.

I completely agree.

 

[BrothaG]

I completely agree.

Must be the Holland thing, huh?

Oh and Arturo, I'm glad.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Giorgio Armani 'deconstructed' the suit jacket before Yohji or Rei...as a point of interest...

 

[Nemova]

I completely agree.

I second that.

 

[Arturo21]

Kit, the clothing that you showed me in that link is what I saw in Venezuela. Although, there were more logo shirts, which was mainly what people had from MFG as well as the jeans. There were also some of those button downs. But, it's totally different from the one in the U.S.

It's what I saw in the magazine. I still don't like it but I respect it much more now.

Now, for the Girbaud that I know (the American Girbaud)..

- There's this guy in my school who wears those almost every day. True "Wanksta"

Now, the Girbaud I know is much, much more "ghetto" and "wanksta" than this.

Shame on Armani, he doesn't actually design most of his labels! More dirt on him!

 

[AlexN]

^That is truly horrendous stuff.

 

[kit]

Now, the Girbaud I know is much, much more "ghetto" and "wanksta" than this.

Shame on Armani, he doesn't actually design most of his labels! More dirt on him![/QUOTE]



I can see what you mean , it's watered down to the ' moshpit ' level .

If you go into a Girbaud boutique in France , you get to see the whole Italian - made collection , and it works .

I don't think Armani is much different from other designers who license - out their name .

Armani Jeans - A/J - is very popular in the Emporio boutiques in the UK's major cities . They are very upmarket but full of pzazz at the same time .

The Armani Black Label flagship boutique on Sloane Street in London seems to cater for the rich middle-eastern businessman market , with vey little of the forward pieces that you see on the runway .

It is ' luxury ' rather than ' happening ' fashion .

Is this yet another sign of Armani's irrelevance ?

 

[Kimkhuu]

Right at this very moment, I think Armani clothing lines are one of the most horrid on the planet. First of all the shows look VERY cheap and bad, and then the clothes.

 

[POOR]

someone had posted that the shows were exciting? C'mon!!!! The shows are incredibly boring!!!!!Unknown models....(which could be good if there was any idea behind it,) no direction or theme in ANY of the collections, clothes that are if anything supposed to be 'luxury' but look like they were made in thailand, and how many times can one use that video screen on the runway! Might be for some but I find more inspiration in Topshop for crying out loud... which is not saying much is it...

 

[Arturo21]

I don't care if it's italian-designed, so is Diesel. I still don't like it at all.

 

[EdK]

all giorgio armani brands except for black label are complete crap ill agree with that. who wears emporio? so ugly anyway... you gotta give black label some credit, there is some nice stuff. i personally like the silhouette of fitted jacket and baggy pant suits hes been using lately, its not really practical but who cares i cant afford it anyway, its nice to look at. but yea black label is ridiculously expensive, its difficult to own a single piece from it. for example i wanted this sweater in the pic from s/s 05, i went to the boutique to buy it thinking it was like 800-900 dollars. looked at the price tag.. it was 2295, i was gonna faint.

 

[AlexN]

^ Was it really nice?

 

[EdK]

yea it looked pretty crazy in person

 

[TheSweetest]

I just spotted this thread and I have to say that for the past year or two I have been feeling guilty about hating his pieces. I hated his presentation and I hated the length of all his shows. I, too, could not bear to go through the many photos posted on style.com.

It is very true that he is a legend, therefore I can't say very much except that he is boring the crap out of me! At the beginning he made his mark with innovation and creativity. Now, I guess, he can do what he wants. I don't understand the idea of licensing just yet. So far I don't like it. I don't understand the point of having lots of lines with your name on them, but you don't design them. But like I said, I guess that now that he is Armani he can do whatever he wants.

I just feel that Yves Saint Laurent did one better by remaining creative in his work to the very end.

 

[Arturo21]

He's so full of it, too. He put his face on a t-shirt studded in crystals to celebrate his 70th birthday or something.

 

[travolta]

i just just read an article about armani in the huge issue of vogue way back in september...it opens with a picture of him, jacket over shoulder, sunglasses swaggering through a slum in Shanghai...it kept trying to defend his where his place was--it asked the question at one point...

"in truth, the relevance of armani today-and the many widespread levels on which he operates-can't be understood by looking at a runway..." it goes to praise his amazing business strategies: he has a very aggresive relationship with the music industry "setting his sights on everyone from young musicians to customers on new continents" sports and film...and how his collections have consciously been aimed at a evolved more individualistic consumer that can mix and match his clothes-the bloomers being a weird manifisation of this.
for how much effort he puts in marketability its strange-or egocentric how he didn't edit his collections more because it would have been undoubtably better. also the article keeps reasserting his stamina and youthfulness...i quote "bronzed and sparkling with energy"...and then it shows a picture of some asian models looking both severe and spacey framed against shanghai's industrial architecture suggesting "the tall narrow flat-chested asian modles looke duncannily right-almost as if they'd been genetically designed to complement armani's slim, supple lines" and the dresses look
"architectural" in a ugly volumous way.
anyways the article seems to suggest he is well on his way to create more armani clones-leaving no stone unturned...finishing in branding the far reaches of the earth...in other words he is the anti dries van norton.

 

[kit]

i just just read an article about armani in the huge issue of vogue way back in september...it opens with a picture of him, jacket over shoulder, sunglasses swaggering through a slum in Shanghai...it kept trying to defend his where his place was--it asked the question at one point...

"in truth, the relevance of armani today-and the many widespread levels on which he operates-can't be understood by looking at a runway..." it goes to praise his amazing business strategies: he has a very aggresive relationship with the music industry "setting his sights on everyone from young musicians to customers on new continents" sports and film...and how his collections have consciously been aimed at a evolved more individualistic consumer that can mix and match his clothes-the bloomers being a weird manifisation of this.
for how much effort he puts in marketability its strange-or egocentric how he didn't edit his collections more because it would have been undoubtably better. also the article keeps reasserting his stamina and youthfulness...i quote "bronzed and sparkling with energy"...and then it shows a picture of some asian models looking both severe and spacey framed against shanghai's industrial architecture suggesting "the tall narrow flat-chested asian modles looke duncannily right-almost as if they'd been genetically designed to complement armani's slim, supple lines" and the dresses look
"architectural" in a ugly volumous way.
anyways the article seems to suggest he is well on his way to create more armani clones-leaving no stone unturned...finishing in branding the far reaches of the earth...in other words he is the anti dries van norton.

I think I understand what point you are making - that Armani represents big-business , with a ruthless strategy of reaching every market segment that he can .

I would have to agree with this , and his success ensures his being at the pinnacle of designer sales .

What I do admire is his continuing success , after the death of his business partner - Sergio Galliotti - frm AIDS in the middle 80s , no mean feat when one considers his total lack of financial acumen at the time .

Your mention of Dries van Noten points up the total difference of approach , Dries is content to let his design speak for itself and does not advertise , whereas Armani swamps the world's glossies with slick pics of the shiny people in shiny things .

I think I am admitting that Armani is ' luxury ' and Dries reresents artistry , but BOTH are relevant . Dries , for instance MUST be a good businessman , coming from a family background of clothing retail , and would not have lasted without a cutting business strategy .

It takes all sorts in the fashion industry , and Armani CAN design pieces that ' rock ' .

This , http://www.firstview.com/MENFall2002/GIORGIO_ARMANI/P101.html

for instance , for which I had to place a special order at the Black Label flagship store on London's Sloane Street .

Now I don't think this piece is passe - it's funky AND timeless at the same time .

Good design indeed !!!

 

[Arturo21]

Armani is hugely commercial. His advertisements are everywhere.

No matter how good his designs are, I would still never buy anything expensive from a label like his. Luckily, in my view, his designs are horrible for the most part. So, I do not have that problem.