Giorgio Armani’s first move in a 48-hour takeover of America’s wealthiest neighborhood, the Upper East Side, was his opening Wednesday night of an impressive new $400 million real estate project entitled ‘Armani/Madison Avenue’.  

A 14-story complex, anchored and topped by the brand on Madison Avenue, America’s primary luxury thoroughfare, it includes new Giorgio Armani and Armani/Casa boutiques, Armani/Ristorante and 11 floors of Armani Residences. Located in a brand new building done in 1930s Manhattan vernacular and finished with fluted columns on the west side of Madison and 66th street.   
 
On Wednesday night, VIPs, clients and editors strolled about sipping champagne and admiring the retail space that includes his signature women’s collection, accessories and eyewear, along with Armani beauty, Armani Privé fragrances and a selection of Armani/Dolci products. The second floor is dedicated to jewelry and eveningwear, men’s clothing and accessories, as well as the women’s made to order and men’s made to measure areas. While the third-floor features an Armani/Casa boutique, with furniture, furnishings, accessories, wallpaper and fabrics – elements that decorate the luxurious Giorgio Armani Residences above. 

The opening came the night before the Italian designer stages his latest One Night Only, a mega show featuring his spring/summer 2025 collection inside the Park Avenue Armory. His boldface name guests had already begun filling up rooms and suites inside the neighborhood’s two swankiest hotels – The Carlyle and The Mark – for the event. 

 
“I am delighted to unveil the new building on Madison Avenue and to celebrate it with an event and the show. Developed with my team of architects, this project expresses a concept of luxury that deeply respects the culture and spirit of the place, and is meant to be a lasting tribute to a city that has welcomed me and marked important moments in my career,” explained Armani. 
 
In a grand gesture, Armani also donated to the New York Restoration Project, collaborating with residents in five boroughs to renovate gardens, restore parks, plant trees and promote urban agriculture.
 
Even before its opening, every one of the 18 Armani Residences apartments – averaging 500 square-meters has already been sold, at close to $35,000 per square meter. Which suggests that, when one includes its retail units, the whole complex has a market value well in excess of $400 million. 
 
Respecting sustainability, the Armani Group has undertaken the process of obtaining LEED Gold certification for its new Giorgio Armani and Armani Casa boutiques. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the world’s most widespread rating system for the certification of building sustainability and is an international guarantee of excellence. 
 
Oh, and in case anyone thinks of bidding for the top-floor penthouse apartment, Giorgio has kept that for himself. Adding it to an existing home in New York, an apartment on Central Park West, giving him residences on both sides of the world’s most famous urban park.
 

“New York, for me, has always been linked to the many films that have deeply shaped my imagination. Thinking of the city in the ‘30s and ‘40s never ceases to inspire me and I evoke that mood in the new Giorgio Armani women’s collection. It is remembering without nostalgia, though. More vital and frenetic than ever, New York continues to look ahead, ever launching new models of life, style and socializing,” added Armani.
 
Not bad going to a nonagenarian who is not remotely near to winding things down in a truly brilliant career.