Giorgio Armani leaves a lasting legacy
J’can fashion stars remember celebrated Italian designer
Published:Sunday | September 7, 2025 | 12:15 AM
The death of acclaimed Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani on Thursday sent ripples across the fashion world. His cultural influence and revolutionary aesthetic shaped men’s and women’s wardrobes for more than five decades, and for the Jamaican models who walked his shows and were lensed in his looks, his immense skill, respect, and personal attention left a lasting impact.
Repeatedly booked, the Kingston-based SAINT International roster of models have suited up with elegant precision to saunter down the catwalk for Armani’s runway shows in Milan and Paris.
“It is a great loss, and, like everyone else in the fashion industry, I was saddened by it,” reflected Colet Buckley, a former SAINT star of the early noughties. Buckley strutted for the fashion maverick’s eponymous brand and diffusion lines for the Italian luxury fashion house.
“He was a designer I dreamed of working with. When I was [cast] and booked my first job for him in 2004, Mr Armani showed nothing but respect and love to a boy from May Pen,” Buckley told The Sunday Gleaner during a Friday telephone call from London, where he is now resident. “I walked several times for him. I did shows for the main Armani line, Emporio Armani, and was one of the first models to walk the launch of his EA7 sports line back in 2004.”
The one-time model recounted that he was directly booked for a month to work in the Armani showroom. “Being in his presence and watching how his team was visited by buyers from across the world was a great learning experience,” shared Buckley, whose professional life has continued in the industry with his current position as a department manager at Selfridges department store.
VISIONARY
As to his favourite memory of the fashion icon, he flashed back to Armani’s 50th anniversary show. “I remember it was held at the Piazza Castello, and the show was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. I was messing about with him and interviewing him on a camcorder; we were from the analogue age. Mr Armani was very approachable. The world lost a great visionary and a fantastic human being. A part of my history died with him.”
Meanwhile, the Big Apple-based SAINT Naki Depass, who walked in multiple shows for Armani, was in a sombre mood during her stroll down memory lane.
“It was heartbreaking news to hear,” Depass told The Sunday Gleaner in between casting calls in the city for the upcoming New York Fashion Week.
“Working with him over the years, I always had so much love for Mr Armani and his team. He was always actively involved in the entire process. I could see his passion for what he does, which I admired, and the team truly felt like family.”
Depass first walked for Giorgio Armani’s fall/winter show in March 2017 in Milan. She would become a mainstay on the catwalk. “I did 15 shows between 2017 and 2022 across the spring/summer, fall/winter and haute couture seasonal collections,” disclosed the Jamaican fashion star who appeared in an Armani-focused fashion story for Vogue Hong Kong’s April 2020 edition.
“I loved working with Mr Armani. His collections are the embodiment of grace, and I always felt very confident in his clothes walking down the runway. I loved seeing him walk around the room during hair and make-up as he checked every single detail and would fix something himself as well. It was truly an honour to have worked with him,” she shared.
For SAINT Chief Executive Officer Deiwght Peters, the passing of the 91-year-old designer was a time to honour and celebrate the enduring legacy he left on the fashion industry. “His greatness was deeply influential and changed the silhouettes of how men and women dressed. The Armani look was, and remains, distinctive today,” Peters noted. “As it relates to SAINT ... while Naki holds the record as the SAINT with the most runway appearances for the house, Tami Williams closely follows her with several bookings. Brad Allen, Elecia Gordon, Brit Knight and Kai Newman have also rocked the Armani runway a number of times. To have been in chapters of the narrative of this legendary man’s story is an absolute gift not lost on myself, or SAINT models.”
Armani died at home, “peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones”, his fashion house said on Thursday. He was said to have worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections and the many ongoing and future projects. He was 91 and is survived by his sister Rosanna, a former fashion model, and her son, Andrea Camerana; and nieces Silvana and Roberta, the daughters of his late brother Sergio.