THOMAS: How would you describe your design style?
ARMANI: I have long adored the Orient and used it as a source for my design.
Why?
Because they have great respect for the past and they maintain a lifestyle that is extremely rational and sane. They sit comfortably on the floor, not on rigid chairs. They live in houses with bedrooms separated by paper screens. It’s so elegant. On top of a piece of furniture, they will have next to nothing–maybe a bowl. It’s a wonderful minimalism, with such purity, sensibility, atmosphere.
Do you believe the Far East has had an important influence on all design?
Absolutely. If you look around, you’ll notice that the best designed things come from there. Even if it’s an Occidental creation, in the end–if it’s something simple–the source is always the Orient. Not France, Italy–all baroque. The Orient.
Why is that?
Because design is truly a part of their everyday lives. Take their cuisine: the food is exquisite in every way. For them, design is about living.
And now design is a part of our everyday lives.
Yes, even more so than 10 years ago. I would say almost too much. Because design today is not always too rational, it’s sometimes made not for people, but for those who design. It’s too far out of reality sometimes. Sure, you must be inventive, but for me design must be connected to our everyday lives, whether it’s clothing or objects. It should be something that can be used by people, not just look good on a magazine page.
We have always had design in society, but it was for the upper class.
And now it’s more democratic. Now even when we work on products that are inexpensive we do so with design in mind. And I think people appreciate that. They see the difference.
When did this design revolution start?
At the same time as in fashion–in the 1970s. Those who moved up the social and economic scale had the desire to live a new way, not the way their grandparents did.
And you and your confreres responded to this demand?
Exactly. And we branched out beyond clothes. First, here at Armani, we did eyeglasses. We did jeans. When I did jeans, I was told, “You are crazy. You are going destroy all that you have achieved in 10 years of work.” I said, “No. It’s what people want.” Jeans are the most afford-able products available. Why can’t they be made with de-sign in mind?
What would you tell young designers today?
That they are the last ones who matter. They are there to provide a service, not to do something that no one has ever done before. If no one has done it before, then it’s often because it’s just not necessary. It’s useless, simply personal exhibitionism. In the end, design is for living. I insist on that.
