Meaning and history
Emporio Armani began in 1981 as a distinct line of the Italian fashion house founded by Giorgio Armani. Its identity introduced an eagle emblem alongside the name. The brand’s official history dates the line to 1981, and WWD reports that it opened its first Milan store that year.
Giorgio Armani designed the eagle. FashionUnited recounts his story of a phone call with his partner Sergio Galeotti: Galeotti proposed that they needed their own version of Lacoste, and Armani responded by asking what flew high above everything. In an interview reported by WWD, Armani associated the eagle with flying high, open horizons and a lack of borders.
1982 – Today
The image shows the name in a high-contrast serif wordmark, with a stylised eagle integrated between “EMPORIO” and “ARMANI.” The bird’s wings extend horizontally; stripes cross its body, and the letters G and A appear at its centre. The archive heading reads “1982 – Today,” but the line and eagle are documented from 1981, so 1982 should not be read as the emblem’s introduction date.
The mark remains associated with Emporio Armani. A Lexology account of a 2016 Court of Florence decision describes the eagle with the G and A as a “strong trademark.” It also notes that the eagle appears in the Emporio Armani logo rather than the parent brand’s mark.
Wordmark and color
The wordmark and eagle form a single horizontal composition. In the retained image, both are black against a light background. Lexology describes the Armani group’s visual aesthetic as largely monochrome; the image illustrates how the contrast keeps the lettering and emblem legible without competing colors.
Early Emporio identity
Emporio Armani’s identity extended beyond the clothing line. Vogue reports that the brand’s magazine was launched with Rosanna Armani, Giorgio Armani’s sister, as editor-in-chief. The magazine’s launch year varies across the cited accounts, so it is not necessary to assign a precise date here.
WWD’s timeline records an Emporio Armani Express restaurant opening in London in 1989. A contemporaneous Los Angeles Times report calls the Knightsbridge venue “Cafe Armani,” illustrating a difference in naming in early coverage.
Disclaimer
This article is part of the educational resources provided by Logo Index, an independent archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. Emporio Armani and associated trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective rights holders where applicable.
