Giorgio Armani Perfume History: A Timeline

When it comes to classic perfumes and fragrances, it's hard to go wrong with Giorgio Armani. The Italian fashion designer has become synonymous with not just iconic women's scents, but plenty of renowned fragrances for men too. It’s even rumoured that Robert de Niro wears Armani cologne!

But where did the Armani perfume story begin? In this blog, we're going to take a look back at the history of Giorgio Armani fragrances, as well as the everlasting appeal of the fashion house's iconic scents. Let's get started!

1980s

Giorgio Armani’s fragrance journey began in the early 1980s, when the designer released his first fragrance in 1981, “Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills” - although this fragrance was released under his own name. The first fragrance for the Armani fashion house came out in the early 1980s, a woman’s fragrance titled “Armani”. Although the original Armani fragrance is now discontinued, it enjoyed substantial success for the fashion house at the time, and paved the way for further Armani perfumes down the line. Not long after the success of Armani, the brand released their first ever men’s fragrance, named “Armani Eau Pour Homme” in 1984.  

1990s

Already established as a must-have fashion house in the 80s, Armani continued to expand their fragrance range into the 1990s. In the 90s, florals were a big hit on the runway, from Kenzo to Yves Saint Laurent; this is perhaps what inspired the addition of two floral fragrances to the Armani range in 1992 and 1998: Gio, created by ​​Francoise Caron, and Aquai de Gio, created by Edouard Fléchier. These two women's fragrances enjoyed tremendous success in the 90s, and although Armani no longer carry these perfumes in their stores or on their website, many vintage bottles continue to be re-sold online to this day.

The 90s also saw the addition of their Emporio Armani perfume for men, Acqua Di Giò Pour Homme. Created in 1996 by Alberto Morillas, this men’s scent was inspired by the Italian island of Pantellerie, one of Giorgio Armani’s favourite holiday spots. Warm, musky, with a tinge of citrus and salt, Acqua Di Giò remains a classic Armani men’s fragrance.

In the late 1990s, Armani decided to use its more youthful sub-brand, Emporio Armani, to expand into new fragrances for younger generations, and did this via the introduction of duo fragrances. Duo fragrances (which involved releasing both a fragrance for women and a fragrance for men under the same name or theme) such as She and He were incredibly popular, and allowed the brand to continue to release duo fragrances for years to come. The most recent example of an Armani duo fragrance is the coveted “Because it’s You” and “Stronger with You” duo.

2000s

The 2000s allowed the Armani brand to continue expanding its range of fragrances, with popular releases such as Emporio Diamonds for Women in 2007 and Emporio Armani Night in 2003. That said, not all the 2000s fragrances were a hit for the brand: Armani Mania for Women was discontinued shortly after its release, as its packaging was often mistaken for a men’s fragrance. 

2010s

In the 2010s, one of Armani’s most popular and successful perfumes for women, Sì, was released. Launched in 2013, this warm, vanilla fragrance was the work of Christine Nagel, and to this day remains one of the fashion house’s most coveted and well-loved scents. Offering the perfect blend between sexy and sophistication, Sì became the base inspiration for a number of other scents under the Sì name; Sì Intense in 2014, Sì Fiori in 2019, and Sì Passione in 2022.

2020s

To this day, Giorgio Armani perfumes remain some of the most timeless and elegant fragrances on the market, and the range continues to expand and include new favourites for both men and women. In August 2020, Armani released the ever-feminine, floral My Way perfume for women, with notes of Madagascan vanilla and tuberose. More recently in 2022, Armani also added to their collection of men’s fragrances with the release of Armani Code Parfum. Woody, spicy, and aromatic, with tones of bergamot, clary sage, orris, tonka bean and cedar, this men’s scent continues the Armani tradition of blending understated elegance with masculinity.