The Giorgio Armani fashion house unveiled the first collection not designed by Armani himself

The legendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani passed away in early September last year. He worked until his final day, leaving behind the fashion house he founded back in 1975. Instead of rigidly structured suits, he introduced a softer, more relaxed silhouette, which soon earned him the nickname “the king of the jacket.” Elongated blazers, casually tailored pleated trousers, and long coats cinched with a belt became the foundation of a new aesthetic that rejected the established rules of classic tailoring. He soon transferred this approach to womenswear as well, freeing it from the strict, overly accentuated lines that dominated at the time. Over the course of his long career, the Armani empire expanded far beyond the boundaries of fashion itself, but what the fashion world will certainly remember him for is the fact that, through his refined sense of aesthetics, he became a symbol of Italian style and elegance.

Exactly one month after Armani’s death, the fashion house was meant to celebrate its major fiftieth anniversary. The legendary designer devoted the final months of his life to planning the celebration, with a runway show envisioned in the romantic cloistered courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera gallery in the heart of Milan. Sadly, he did not live to see the anniversary or the show, and the occasion therefore took on a farewell tone. The Spring Summer 2026 collection was a love letter to two of Armani’s favorite places, the historic Milanese district of Brera and the island of Pantelleria. One question was inevitable: what will the house’s aesthetic look like after the departure of the maestro who steered it for half a century?

The answer arrives with the menswear collection for the Fall Winter 2026 season, presented today at Milan Men’s Fashion Week, the first without Giorgio Armani’s personal signature. The recognizable elegance remains clearly present, as the story of menswear is continued by a man who knows the brand and its founder inside and out. As early as June 2025, when Armani missed a men’s show at Fashion Week for the first time due to health reasons, leadership was taken over by Pantaleo Dell’Orco, his right hand and long time life partner. The Fall Winter 2026 menswear collection is the first signed solely by Dell’Orco and although it marks the brand’s entry into a new era, it remains faithful to its recognizable handwriting. The collection maintains its focus on fluid, elegant tailoring, rich materials such as silk, velvet, and leather, and the signature muted color palette, with discreet steps into brighter tones, showing that the fashion house continues to build on what, thanks to Giorgio Armani, has become a symbol of timeless classicism.

Below, take a look at some of the looks from the new Armani Fall Winter 2026 collection: