Giorgio Armani Marks 20 Years of Haute Couture Collections With Exhibition at Armani/Silos

MILAN — Giorgio Armani is opening the golden gates of haute couture to the public by way of a dazzling exhibition staged at the Armani/Silos space here.

Inaugurated with an event on Tuesday evening and officially running May 21 to Dec. 28, the showcase is titled “Giorgio Armani Privé 2005-2025, Twenty Years of Haute Couture” to mark the milestone for the designer’s Privé line, which he introduced with a spring 2005 collection paraded in Paris.

Ever since, Armani presented his haute couture collections in the City of Light twice a year, with the only exception being January 2021, when, due to the pandemic, he staged the fashion show behind closed doors at Palazzo Orsini here and then broadcast as part of the Paris couture schedule.

So this is the first time the Milanese audience and the general public can get an up-close look at his haute couture creations, indulge in the rich embroideries, beaded embellishments and crafty details and discover the references behind the dreamy garments.

The “Giorgio Armani Privé 2005-2025, Twenty Years of Haute Couture” exhibition at Armani/Silos in Milan.

Delfino Sisto Legnani/Courtesy of Giorgio Armani

Armani himself curated the set-up at the Silos space, which had more than 150 couture looks arranged across four levels, either spotlighted singularly or grouped in thematic rooms, according to colors or inspiration.

“We’ve heard you’ve curated the installation yourself until last night,” Armani was told at the opening event. “Actually, until this morning,” he quickly replied.

“I’m looking at this exhibition again with the critical eye of a person that has designed all these dresses at different times, with different means, different techniques and different skills. So I have a strong critical sense and I won’t tell you what doesn’t work but what does. And that is to have chosen a path, and most importantly, [ran it] not being led by the hand by anyone,” he said.

“In my haute couture collections, I express my vision of style and elegance through the art of craftsmanship and savoir-faire: only here am I free to do so without limits,” said Armani. “Twenty years of Giorgio Armani Privé have been an extraordinary, liberating journey. Now, I want to share it with a wider audience, inviting them into this dream of mine, a dream of dresses woven from imagination and grace. A very special world that takes on new meaning in this exhibition.”

The “Giorgio Armani Privé 2005-2025, Twenty Years of Haute Couture” exhibition at Armani/Silos in Milan.

Delfino Sisto Legnani/Courtesy of Giorgio Armani

Visitors will be able to see garments pulled from the designer’s couture shows as well as custom made Privé gowns seen on international red carpets through the years. These ranged from the Swarovski crystal mesh gown worn by Cate Blanchett at the 2007 Academy Awards to the spring 2010 strapless, sculptural number Jennifer Lopez picked for the same occasion in 2010; from the long-sleeve, floral-embroidered spring 2021 dress Nicole Kidman sported at the SAG Awards in 2021 to the custom champagne silk gown Demi Moore wore to scoop up her first Golden Globe award earlier this year.

Accessories such as bags, shoes, jewelry and headpieces were also showcased, both across the exhibition and in a dedicated section in the space’s top level, flanked by an area screening backstage footage of the Armani Privé shows.

The exhibit’s sensory experience was replete with dim lighting, the Armani Privé high-end fragrance Bois d’Encens lingering in the air and an original soundtrack L’Antidote music trio Redi Hasa, Rami Khalifé and Bijan Chemirani created specifically for the show.

Demi Moore in Giorgio Armani Privé.

Gilbert Flores

The Italian designer, who this year also marks 50 years in business with his namesake brand, has always seen couture as a forum for experimentation in both design and formats. For one, as early as his second couture collection in 2005, he introduced daytime options to the lineup, highlighting a new approach to couture. 

In January 2007, he also decided to broadcast the spring 2007 couture show live online for the first time from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. At the time, he addressed that couture “represents the pinnacle of creativity and sartorial skill, but it is only accessible to the few” and how “today, through the democracy of the Internet, we can offer a front-row seat to everyone.” 

Giorgio Armani with models at the Giorgio Armani Privé spring 2025 couture show in Paris.

Courtesy of Giorgio Armani

Armani paraded his latest couture collection, for spring 2025, in Paris earlier this year, presenting a sophisticated lineup that acknowledged the diverse references the designer has made with his couture designs over time, from the linear elegance of Japan and the shapes and colors of China to the opulence of India, the decorum of North Africa and the landscapes of Polynesia. This was the first collection presented at Palazzo Armani, which was unveiled last year.

A historic building dating back to 1864 and located nearby Avenue Montaigne, Palazzo Armani spans over 21,527 square feet to house the couture atelier and several offices, including the designer’s workspace and departments such as sales and communications. Originally built as a private residence, the estate changed use in 1912, becoming the headquarters of various companies until Armani took over and restored the stuccoes and period paintings decorating its rooms.

Armani Privé, spring 2025 couture

Giovanni Giannoni/WWD

As for the Silos space, opposite Armani’s theater, it was inaugurated in 2015 with a retrospective of the designer’s clothes and has staged several exhibitions, spanning from those dedicated to Larry Fink or Sarah Moon to Tadao Ando’s work, to name a few.

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