Giorgio Armani – Est.$9.6 billion
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer who has a net worth of $9.6 billion dollars. Born July 11, 1934 in Piacenza, Italy, Giorgio Armani is best known for his popular men’s suits. His popularity reached new heights in the ’80s when his men’s ‘power suits’ began appearing frequently on the actors in the series Miami Vice and again in the 1980 film American Gigolo. Armani first launched his business empire in the mid-1970s, and it grew substantially. Armani’s family was from humble beginnings, experiencing the hardships of World War II firsthand.
With the encouragement of his friend Sergio Galeotti, Armani started doing freelance design work for other companies as well. Armani and Galeotti became business partners, founding Giorgio Armani S.p.A. in July 1975 and they launched a line of women’s and men’s clothing. The clothes were revolutionary at the time, introducing a more natural fit and using a subtle color palette. Armani didn’t make a big splash in America until 1980 when his clothes were showcased on major television shows. It wasn’t long before many top Hollywood stars were wearing Armani on the red carpet, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jodie Foster and John Travolta.