The Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani moving tribute shows to the Italian maestro

On Sunday 28th September 2025, an ocean of candles welcomed the guests attending the Giorgio Armani Spring/Summer 2026 show at the Pinacoteca di Brera in the heart of Milan. Bringing the Milan Fashion Week to a close, the runway took the shape of a grand tribute. Alongside the Emporio Armani presentation, the show unveiled the first collections designed since Giorgio Armani’s passing at the age of 91 on September 4th, 2025. Some of the models, who had been close to the designer since the 1990s, struggled to hold back their tears. Meanwhile, the audience gathered to pay their respect, observing each look with reverence.

Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani shows brightened by the founder’s legacy

The Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2026 show had taken place a few days earlier, on September 25th, 2025. At the Armani Teatro, a hushed atmosphere of respect prevailed.

But without Giorgio Armani, who stood behind these two collections? None other than Silvana Armani, the designer’s niece and creative director of the women’s collections for several years now. Alongside her was Leo dell’Orco, the founder’s right-hand man and partner. Humble and strong, the duo greeted the guests at the end of the shows.

Drawing primarily from her rich family heritage, Silvana Armani envisioned the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2026 show as a dialogue between silhouettes inspired by distant cultures and casual looks infused with an urban spirit. As for the Giorgio Armani Spring/Summer 2026 collection – the last one to which the couturier himself contributed – it unfolded as a large retrospective, spanning his body of work back to his earliest collections.

From the colour palette, ranging from violet to deep blue, to the accessories, elongated silhouettes and stage design, everything in these collections exuded simplicity, softness and grace. Would Giorgio Armani have appreciated this Spring/Summer 2026 season? Absolutely.

Two collections with contrasting silhouettes

Strongly influenced by Giorgio Armani’s aesthetic, the looks on the catwalk this season stood out for their unparalleled lightness and fluidity. While some outfits featuring baggy pants seemed designed to be worn in the middle of the desert, others, structured by obi belts, offered a clear nod to traditional Japanese culture.

Some fabrics also highlighted the excellence of the Armani workshops, like the ikat silk. This textile, born of an ancestral weaving technique widespread in Central Asia and India, is both extremely complex and precious. Since the silk threads are dyed before being woven, it creates patterns with finely blurred contours.

Alongside these evocations of faraway places, urban fashion also found its way into the collections. Nonchalant masculine suits, evening pajamas, dark satin frock coats, cropped kimono-style jackets, glittering bralettes, mermaid evening gowns… Each silhouette paid, in its own way, a beautiful tribute to the aesthetic of Mr. Armani. A deliberate reminder of the elegance and discretion of the great designer, who forever left his mark on fashion.

Highlights from the Giorgio Armani Spring/Summer 2026 show

All the looks from the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2026 show