Giorgio Armani has been in the business of making beautiful things for 49 years. The Italian designer, who recently turned 90 years old, found his namesake brand on a foundation of timeless elegance and class – navy cashmere blazers, intricately beaded dresses, softly draped white wool overcoats.
Walking among the women’s collection feels like a fairy tale, and waltzing through the mens’ is as reassuring as a relaxing read in your favourite armchair.
But there’s a change in the wind wafting through the glass doors of Knightsbridge’s Giorgio Armani store. It’s autumn, and with it, come cooler nights, warmer clothes, and fresh wardrobes.
Indeed, for the first time in all those 49 years, Giorgio Armani has collaborated with another label – and he chose Kith.
Kith started as a New York City streetwear brand, and appealed to the cool kids on the block by holding up a mirror to the youth culture and turning it into clothing. The brand often gets namechecked when discussing contemporaries like Aimee Leon Dore, Bathing Ape, or Noah. It isn't necessarily an obvious choice for a collaboration with one of Italy’s most historic high-fashion labels.
For Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, working with Mr Armani had always been a half-pipe dream. The streetwear designer cites the Italian designer as his “north star”, and said that “[Armani] set the impossibly high standard that I push myself to reach everyday.”
In order to make that dream a reality, Fieg adopted tailoring and suiting into his collection four years ago, to prove to himself and to the world that Kith was capable of designing something beautiful for Mr Armani’s customers.
The final step in persuading the Giorgio Armani label to collaborate with Kith came in the form of a leather-bound, gold-embossed book, containing Fieg’s pitch for the collection. Inside this book were the tales of four men, four archetypes, that went on to inspire each of the four capsule collections within the collaboration: the ‘Artist,’ ‘Entrepreneur,’ ‘Traveller,’ and ‘Entertainer.’ Each of the four not only have a distinct look, but a full life’s story.
In a series of short films released by the team, starring Hollywood heavyweights like Martin Scorcese (the Artist) and Pierce Brosnan (the Traveller), Fieg brings to life each of the four archetypes, and offers customers a chance to see who they too can become when wearing the garments.
The Artist, for instance, is someone who ‘prioritises self-expression,’ and prefers sleek, black clothing, so that his art can take centre stage. He’s Martin Scorcese, admiring himself in a sleek black turtleneck and double-breasted black wool suit, the hero piece of the collection. Of course he looks good – he’s wearing Armani.
If instead, you desire to be the centre of attention, then perhaps you are the Entertainer. The Entertainer is a showman, whose craft is sleek and refined – much like his wardrobe. Deep greens and blues comprise a small collection of: a trouser and crossover blazer in velvet, and a specialty double breasted lamb shearling coat. The devil is in the details for this archetype (Lakeith Stanfield was a natural choice for this role), so you might just notice a silk scarf poking out from under his coat.
Meanwhile, the Traveler’s lifestyle can be summed up in one mantra: ‘Be a traveller, not a tourist.’ Never staying in one place too long, he packs light. In fact, he only has one suit: a vintage double-breasted jacket, with a matching vest and front-pleated trouser. All in a light camel coloured virgin wool, featuring a specialty, co-monogrammed lining. For the plane, he sports his robe-esque cashmere wool coat, and for safari, a fedora.
Now we turn the page to the fourth and final character in this story – the Entrepreneur – the self-made man, who appreciates simplicity and tradition. A simple, two-piece brown suit with a complementary jacquard tie (detachable), and a coat – puffer or over – depending on the weather. Perhaps the truest embodiment of the collaboration, this archetype is none other than Ronnie Fieg himself, a true entrepreneur since the age of 13.
Within this collection is a special something for everyone. And perhaps, in these clothes, the wearer can discover a little more of themself.
Each garment is crafted at Giorgio Armani factories across Italy, while Kith’s signature silhouettes give each piece an elevated streetwear feel.
The collection launched on 12 September in select stores across the UK, US, and Canada, and will become available starting 20 September in Europe and Japan, and 28 September in China. The full list of stores and dates can be found here.
