King Armani’s Court

Giorgio Armani built a legacy in fashion, but he has also long nurtured an athletic passion: Italy’s most celebrated basketball team. This is part of Legend Huddle, a series of intimate conversations with the icons and innovators who’ve shaped sports history — from the court to the culture.

BY Christopher Morency

CM: Luxury brands and athletes have never been more intertwined, with collaborations happening across fashion and sports. You’ve been doing this crossover for decades.Why do you think we’re seeing this crossover become bigger?
 
GA: I have great admiration for athletes, for their commitment, for what they represent for the public. I like to bring this message into fashion as well. It’s a reciprocal dialogue and, unlike many others, these collaborations also have a very strong ethical message.
 
CM: That’s a good point. You’ve previously also emphasized the importance of discipline, teamwork and adaptability—qualities that also define great basketball teams. How do these principles translate into your approach to running a fashion house?
 
GA: Basketball is an organized, fast team sport in which everything can change at the last moment. I find it akin to my way of understanding work: You need to be attentive, fast, full of strength and determination in order to reach the goal with the help and support of your team. It matters a lot. Even the greatest star cannot reach a goal without the team’s support.
 
CM: Your motto, Mens sana in corpore sano—translating to “a healthy mind in a healthy body”—is something you live by. How does fitness and discipline shape your creativity?
 
GA: Fitness keeps my body active and healthy, discipline shapes my actions and creativity. I’ve never been a supporter of unruliness as a quality of the creative individual. To make an idea real, one needs strictness, method, application.
 
CM: You’re the living proof of this. Also, longevity in fashion is difficult, just like building a basketball dynasty. What do you think is the secret to staying relevant in both worlds?
 
GA: The secret for me is always the same: Work hard, give your best, do your work in the most honest way. Relevance will always come as a reward. Caring about fame and trying to achieve it at all costs is the best way to never grasp it.
 
CM: What makes a winner?
 
GA: A winner is focused on the goal, so that ideas and actions match. A winner also has a certain natural propensity in creating an environment that motivates and creates a cohesive team.
 
CM: What’s your favorite emotion in the game?
 
GA: The battle, possession after possession, second after second—a roller coaster of emotions where, in most cases, for the whole duration of the game, you are never sure of making it and at the same time, you never think you cannot make it.
 
I spoke of the 2014 victory: Five minutes before the end, we were down by eight points and everything seemed lost. Two minutes later, we were ahead, ready to explode in celebration. Basketball is like that, and it’s the reason I love it.
CM: At this stage in your career, what excites you more: watching a perfectly executed runway show or watching Olimpia Milano hit a game-winning shot?
 
GA: They’re two different moments that both give great satisfaction. But the most extraordinary aspect is the amazement and emotion that always have the same intensity.
 
CM: I hear you often go to Nobu or a pizzeria after a game. What’s your go-to order?
 
GA: Pizza margherita or, at Nobu, Cantonese fried rice or spaghetti with oil, an off-menu item that the kitchen prepares especially for me. I like to end the meal with a small dessert orsome hazelnut ice cream, my favorite. In general, I love light, not-too-elaborate meals.
 
CM: If you were a basketball player, what position would you play?

 

GA: Probably a point guard. After all, in my work, I am one.