2023 NEIMAN MARCUS AWARDS
What do you believe was the biggest impact of receiving the award for your brand and for you personally? G.A.:
It gave me legitimacy in the States. It was in that year, 1979, that I took the considerable step of founding the Giorgio Armani Corp. in the United States. In the context of that business move, receiving the award from Neiman Marcus was like receiving an Oscar for a young actor. You join the pantheon of previous recipients and you feel that you have gained an endorsement from your industry. I was very aware that I was following in the footsteps of previous Italian designers that had been honored with this prestigious award — Missoni, in 1973, and even earlier, Emilio Pucci and Roberta di Camerino in the ‘50s. These were names I had the utmost respect for and that had paved the way for me.
Can you share a personal story about your relationship with Neiman Marcus and how the partnership has impacted you and the Giorgio Armani brand throughout the years, including present day? G.A.:
I have a really strong relationship with Neiman Marcus that is actually born of that award. Because it was to receive it that I made my first trip to America. It was such an exciting journey: seeing the country, and particularly New York, for the first time made a very powerful impression on me. Back then I only knew the U.S. from the movies that I had been watching as a kid. But to be there, and at a time when New York was really lively, and to feel a part of that — was memorable. So Neiman Marcus introduced me to the States and to the American customer and really, from the very beginning, the United States has always been a very important market for me. That's where my style really took off and my international success began.
What was happening at Armani during the time you won the award in 1979? Any specific launches, categories, ad campaigns, styles, etc. during this time? G.A.:
When I think of 1979, I think of a time of change. I was beginning to play with the idea of denim, at a time when fashion designers did not work with such a mass product as jeans. But it felt so right to me, as I had the intuition to offer an easy and
accessible product to a younger audience. And then there was “American Gigolo,” which proved to be such a fundamental turning point for me because my style found a place in the collective imagination through the filter of the cinema screen.
The project began when, to my great surprise, Paul Schrader [writer and director of the movie] contacted me. He came to Milan in late July 1979, along with John Travolta, who was initially supposed to play Julian Kay, and I showed him the sketches for the spring collection I was working on. He told me that the outfits were exactly what he had in mind. This meant that we didn't really create costumes, the clothes in the film were the same clothes that could be found in my shops, which made all the difference as the public could buy them. And then Richard Gere brought the collection to life with his inimitable walk. The jacket emphasized his muscles and the trousers caressed his legs: it was a revelation for the male body, totally unthinkable before the arrival of deconstructed tailoring.
The film perfectly showcased the work I was pioneering on the unstructured jacket, which will be remembered as the symbol of my fashion because it represented a “revolution” and changed the destiny of the garment. I also believe that “American Gigolo” reflected and was part of a new attitude to clothing in Hollywood. The 1980s marked a time of massive change in Hollywood. In the film industry, young actors were rejecting the theatrics of the old Hollywood red carpet in favor of a new, more natural style, and I became the go-to designer for a fresh approach. In 1978 I dressed Diane Keaton in a man's jacket for the Oscars when she won Best Actress for “Annie Hall.” I had admired her in Woody Allen's great film precisely because of her masculine look so I suggested that she dress this way for the ceremony. It was, in a way, recognition of the continuity between the big screen and real life. It inspired a powerful reaction: no actress had ever dressed like that at the Oscars before.
What’s your favorite Neiman Marcus memory?
G.A.: Apart from receiving the award in 1979…I remember staging a charity fashion show in Dallas in 2007 for Neiman Marcus, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary that year. The guest list was created by the Crystal Charity Ball, an organization that raises money for children's charities. So I flew over for a few days and put on a full runway show for the ladies of Dallas and their husbands in order to fundraise. It was great fun, and the Texans were incredibly welcoming. I did a book signing, too, while I was there, and I remember that while most people came up with their copies of “Armani Backstage,” a book of photographs taken by Roger Hutchings, and wanted inscriptions, one man asked me to sign his Stetson and a young student studying fashion came with a sewing machine he wanted me to sign. Which I did! That was very special.
Leonardo Ferragamo for Salvatore Ferragamo SpA
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO WON
THE AWARD I N 1947 AND FIAMMA FERRAGAMO WON THE AWARD I N 1967.
What do you believe was the biggest impact of receiving this award for the brand? Leonardo Ferragamo:
It has been a privilege for us to receive two Neiman Marcus awards, first in 1947 and then in 1967. Neiman Marcus' enlightened vision marked two significant moments: my father's efforts to relaunch the business after the Second World War and Fiamma's intense work a few years after my father's death to make his dreams a reality and develop the company together with my mother, sisters and brothers.
Can you describe Ferragamo’s relationship with Neiman Marcus and how the partnership has impacted the brand throughout the years, including present day? L.F.:
Ferragamo's relationship with Neiman Marcus has always been very solid and, above all, continuous from the time my father Salvatore ran the company to when my mother, Wanda Ferragamo, and her children took over. There have been countless partnerships over the years. One of the most notable was the display at the Beverly Wilshire store in Los Angeles when we inaugurated the exhibition of my father's story at the Los Angeles County Museum in 1992. With the launch of the debut Ferragamo collection by Maximilian Davis, Neiman Marcus continues to be a major strategic partner of ours.
What was happening at the brand during the time Salvatore won the award in 1947 and Fiamma won in 1967? Any specific launches, categories, ad campaigns, styles, etc. during this time? L.F.:
In both 1947 and 1967, special products were created for the awards, including the famous “invisible” sandal. It was designed in 1947 with a wedge in a special shape and an upper made of nylon fishing line. This was an extremely innovative material back then. Other products created at the time were shoes with sculptural heels, alluding to the world of space, a concept my sister Fiamma was exploring at that time. There was no magazine or newspaper in the world that did not acknowledge the originality of these models and the importance of this award. Neiman Marcus has always highlighted the top players in fashion and retail with a focus on excellence, quality, ongoing ambition and the professionalism. This professionalism has been one of the driving forces for the development of our business around the world.