Remix: Emporio Armani Introduces Capsule Collection

It would be hard to think of a designer more synonymous with Italian fashion than Mr. Giorgio Armani. His company, which was founded in 1975, is a global empire that continually and consistently presents sleek, sexy men's and women's wear. From 1987 to 1997 the company published Emporio Armani Magazine -- under the art direction of Rosanna Armani -- an experimental publication that dabbled in the worlds of art, fashion and culture. Some of the biggest names in photography, including Mario Testino and Michel Comte, contributed to the decadent, sensual tome. It was the days before Internet domination disseminated imagery to everyone, everywhere.

Here at the Fifth Avenue Armani Store and at the newly renovated Armani Store in San Francisco, iconic images from the tome are being displayed for an exhibition, Momenti di Emporio featuring imagery from the publication. In addition to that, the exhibition has served as inspiration for a capsule collection entitled Emporio Armani Remix (pictured at left) -- which takes classic Armani silhouettes and updates them in a refreshingly modern and energetic way (see the picture left). While the shapes, fabrics and colors will be familiar to fans of the label, there is definitely an undercurrent of contemporary street culture that has influenced this striking re-imagination of classics from the Armani archive. The capsule collection -- which is for both men and women -- is exculsive to the United States and will be sold at the 5th Avenue Store and select Emporio Armani stores.

It makes sense for a creative force like Armani, who lives in a world of perfectly tailored classic clothing, to continue to push his brand forward in this manner -- he definitely has one foot planted in the past and one in the world of modernity. The man does, afterall, collaborate with Lady Gaga.