Armani Sets Record Straight Regarding the Future of His Brand, May Consider Selling

Since Armani is one of the only large, established fashion houses still controlled and designed by its founder--and Giorgio Armani won't be able to run the show forever--there's been a lot of discussion and speculation over what might happen to his fashion empire. While that discussion has been going on for years, it's been an especially hot topic of late due to recent reports that Armani plans to create a foundation that will maintain control of the company once he steps down.
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Giorgio Armani Thinks About Succession Every Day, Says Editors Should Pay More Attention to Him

Armani is one of the only large, established fashion houses still controlled and designed by its founder and now that Giorgio is getting up there (he's almost 78)...well, that obviously won't be the case forever. He's clearly still going strong--pushing out collection after collection, expanding into new product categories, designing clothes for the Olympics, etc--and never really talks about who will succeed him. Still, he tells the Wall Street Journal, in a lengthy piece about that and the future of the Armani brand, that it's something he thinks about every day--"when I wake up in the morning and when I go to sleep at night." He also touches on his battle with hepatitis, his initial reluctance to strike a deal with LVMH (which he seems to now regret not doing), why editors shouldn't praise designers like Marc Jacobs and Miuccia Prada, what (and who) will take Armani into the future (there is no mention of Stefano Pilati, who has been rumored), and the possibility of starting a foundation. Read on for the most interesting bits:

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