11/09/2025
Last week, the fashion industry lost one of its most iconic leaders with the death of Giorgio Armani.
As we reflect on the impact Giorgio Armani had on the fashion industry, and the success his empire experienced, we acknowledge the widespread reach that Armani has.
Founding the Italian fashion brand Armani in 1975, Giorgio Armani, is now a global household name in a multitude of industries ranging from fashion and beauty, to hotels and restaurants.
The success of Giorgio Armani has not been by chance. Taking a look at the trade mark portfolio, in the UK alone, GIORGIO ARMANI S.P.A. are the owners of almost 300 registrations. The brand’s awareness of the importance of registering their intellectual property rights is clear.
As the brand expanded, and moved away from Armani, and into a range of sub-brands under the Armani Group, including Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, and Armani Casa, the reach of the brand grew. It has been noted that a key intention of the Armani Group, through their expansion, has been to target a wide range of consumers by attaching a distinct style and image to each of their sub-brands. All of these sub-brands, from their logos, to product names and get ups, have trade mark protection.
Protection has undoubtedly allowed the Armani Group to ensure that their dominant presence in the market place continues. Registered trade mark protection has enabled the Group to successfully file oppositions against third party applications which they consider to be confusingly similar. The Group’s approach to proactively defending their position on the market place is exemplified by the increase in oppositions filed against such third party applications in comparison to pre-2016.
Many of the Armani trade marks date back to the 1980’s and have been renewed ever since. Identifying that protecting your brand’s intellectual property from its conception undoubtedly makes preventing others seeking to unjustly benefit from such success much easier as you have the registered rights to utilise in take downs as the brand evolves.
Not only does having trade mark protection enable brand owners to prevent others from infringing their brand, but it gives them the ability to authorise third parties to use their branding, for example through a licence agreement. An example here would be the licence with L’Oréal who develop the Armani fragrance, skincare, and beauty products.
Having only touched the surface in delving into Giorgio Armani’s brands, we can undoubtedly conclude, that Armani, a brand that started off as focused on fashion, is an example of a global brand who have utilised their intellectual property rights to support its long lasting success. There is no doubt that the Giorgio Armani name will live on.
This article is for general information only. Its content is not a statement of the law on any subject and does not constitute advice. Please contact Reddie & Grose LLP for advice before taking any action in reliance on it.
Image source: https://shorturl.fm/pS3Kb
