MILAN — Giorgio Armani is recovering from a case of hepatitis, according to the fashion house.
The designer described hepatitis as “certainly…not a rare illness, nevertheless it is one which requires some time for a complete recovery.”
In a statement issued Wednesday, the 73-year-old Armani took the opportunity to underscore the fact that his company “has continued to operate normally with business as usual.” Armani, who is gearing up to show his men’s signature and Emporio collections in Milan next month and his Privé couture line in Paris in July, said his “commitment both on the creative and management side has never relented.”
The designer pointed out that “there has been no shift in delegation of [his] authorities to any one of the executives and everything in the company is proceeding with the usual energy.”
Armani felt the need to respond to “the high level of interest” over the past few days about his health. “There have been several phone calls asking the same questions and expressing the same concerns regarding my health. I have decided to calm these worries in my usual direct and clear style of communication,” said the designer.
Armani is renowned for being tireless, a hands-on owner, and passionate about his business, functioning as both the designer and the top executive of the company he created in 1975. During Milan’s international furniture and design exhibition Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April, however, Armani was not present at the press viewing of his home collection, nor did he hold a press conference for the event, as he has regularly done over the past few years. A company spokeswoman denied Armani’s absence was related to the infection.
She added no further details of Armani’s illness would be released.