"In these last weeks I have felt strongly the embrace of those who thought of me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, see you again in September". With these words Giorgio Armani greeted his audience on the occasion of his 91st birthday. The designer, absent from the men's and haute couture catwalks for health reasons, is looking to the fall to celebrate another important deadline: the 50th anniversary of his brand, which was formally celebrated yesterday, half a century from that July 24, 1975, when a piece of Italian fashion and cultural history came to life with a starting capital of 10 million lire. Until it became a financial empire with more than 4 billion euros in sales and a pillar of Made in Italy. Today the Armani empire ranges from men's and women's ready-to-wear collections to haute couture via residential and hospitality projects, including hotels, restaurants and cafes. In recent months, the group has spared no expense on investments, including the renovation of many of its most important flagships, such as the Madison avenue building in New York, Emporio Armani Milano, Palazzo Armani, and the new headquarters on rue François 1er in Paris. As for the future, the designer assures that “there will be an Armani after Armani, taken care of by the people around me, by the collaborators who are part of my ideal family”.