Armani Awarded With "Honoris Causa" Degree By The University Of Piacenza
The university in Giorgio Armani's hometown awarded him an "Honoris Causa" degree in "Global Business Management" during an event organized at the Municipal Theatre.
Moved almost to tears, the famous Giorgio Armani received an honorary degree in Global Business Management from the University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza (Italy), the city where the designer was born in 1934.
Born in Piacenza in 1934, Giorgio Armani grew up in the Piacenza capital, where he attended the Lorenzo Respighi scientific high school before moving to Milan with his family. He became a fashion designer and entrepreneur, and today Armani is president and CEO of the Armani Group, which has 8304 employees and 9 production plants.
"The impulse to broaden the gaze from the object to the context was the root and consequence of the global expansion of the Armani brand, which today defines a 'style' not only in clothing but in various sectors of what comes in a word defined lifestyle," said Rector Anell.
Deep Emotion - Armani Tries To Inspire Students With His Own Example
This is the fifth academic title Armani was awarded in his career and the famous designer dedicated it to young people:
"I spoke about myself in this speech thinking above all of you students. And I would like, through my story, to be an example. (...) Real work and love take you far," he said.
"There are two things that bring me here with great emotion: to receive what you wanted to acknowledge me and to see Piacenza again," Armani said.
After having affectionately greeted the students, Armani underlined "the doubly special value" of the title received from the university, "because it rewards my role as an entrepreneur, commitment and passion" but also because "it is conferred on me in my hometown, in a magical place that fascinated me as a child. From Piacenza, I left for Milan, but my roots have remained here."
Armani spoke for a long time about his loved ones: "Being here made me remember the very demanding road I traveled, often forgetting about myself. So I tell young people to work, to resist, but also not to forget that at home they have their cat, dog, mother, grandmother or girlfriend because while moving on, they need people by their side".
Giorgio Armani's Story
The eclecticism of the entrepreneurial choices does not contradict, indeed at best enhances, the humanistic coherence of inspiration: from the unstructured jacket, the most iconic of Armani's creations, a project for a house, a hotel, an entertainment venue was born contiguously, crossing the ancient passions for cinema and sport and extending to outline a personal interpretation of glamour: "My eye is behind it and my taste is inside. The future is on the horizon," said Armani.
"Fate put me to the test when Sergio Galeotti passed away," added the famous fashion designer.
"But thanks to my stubbornness and the people close to me I managed to go on. I have always proudly cultivated my independence with courage and confidence. The prospects that have emerged in recent decades require a weighting of the very principles that underlie the creative and production processes", he stated.
"Their social and environmental sustainability begins when the reasons for what lasts win over those for what passes, leaving all its scars: we hope that we understand this better today than yesterday".
Honesty, Humility, Ethics, And Consistency
Giorgio Armani also spoke about the difficulty of finding the right path:
"It can happen that along the way you realize that it is better to modify or even change the course, and it happened to me too. But to make mistakes is human, it serves to strengthen you, to grow. I dreamed of becoming a doctor and, instead, became a designer, at the head of an international group. Values? There is no precise recipe, but in life, I have learned that what matters is honesty, humility, ethics, consistency, and, above all, a substance that goes beyond the simple and unstable appearance. I recommend that you dream, believe in what you are, be inspired, and continue looking at the world with an open mind and with always curious and transparent eyes."
"I like to think that my personal experience can be, in a way, an example for anyone who sets out to achieve. Especially for young people who, in such a complex historical moment, often struggle to find the right path. Today, special skills are needed and the reality is challenging and not always reassuring, but I would say never give up, study hard, work every day, following your instinct and passion," Armani concluded.
