Mourners pay last respects to fashion icon Armani

Armani died on Thursday aged 91 at his home in central Milan surrounded by loved ones. 

His fashion house said he worked right up to the end. 

One of his final projects was a runway show marking 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani brand, which is due to close Milan Fashion Week later in September. 

Mourners on Saturday filed into the Armani Theatre, where Armani regularly showed his ready-to-wear runway collections. 

Rows of candles in paper bags cast a shimmering light and piano music by Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi played softly in the background. 

The closed coffin was adorned with a bouquet of long-stem white roses, and flanked by carabinieri honour guards in ceremonial dress. 

Mourners included Donatella Versace, who wore a dark skirt suit and carried a bouquet of white flowers, which she left in tribute. 

Armani, who was deeply private, was not known to be a practising Catholic, but a priest who emerged from his central Milan home after his death told reporters that he attended mass daily. 

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala was among the first to arrive, offering condolences to Leo Dell'Orco, Armani's longtime collaborator and the head of menswear, who stood near the coffin. 

"A man of extraordinary elegance," Sala told reporters outside. 

"Milan is full of signs of Armani. It will be impossible to forget him." 

Two hours after the doors opened, the line of mourners stretched down the block. 

The public viewing will continue through until Sunday. 

Armani will be buried following a private funeral, details of which remain private. 

Armani, one of the most recognisable names and faces in the global fashion industry, missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of spring-summer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition. 

Condolences have poured in from friends and admirers around the world, including Ralph Lauren, Julia Roberts, Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio.