The death of acclaimed Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani last Thursday (September 4) sent ripples across the fashion world. 

His cultural influence and revolutionary aesthetic weighed heavily in the style codes of men’s and women’s wardrobes across five decades, and even had a longstanding Jamaican connection.

Repeatedly booked, the model army of the Kingston-based SAINT International has 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 aughts. 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 Our Today 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.

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 somber mood during her stroll down memory lane.

“It was heartbreaking news to hear,” Depass told Our Today in between casting call sprints 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 2000 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 makeup 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.

SAINT star Brad Allen was taken aback when word reached him of Armani’s passing, “I was tagged in a post by fellow male model Conrad Bromfield and I thought he had found random pictures of us from our first Emporio Armani show together and then I started seeing more posts, and then that’s when it hit.”

Allen, who was scouted on a bus while a teenager attending Kingston High School, before launching a successful international modelling career, walked four times for the Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani brands in Milan.

“I remembered Mr. Armani was always present, not just at the shows, but also the castings as well. He interacted with the models, which I believe cast away any nervous feeling before they surfaced just by seeing how genuine and caring he was.”

For SAINT CEO Dewight Peters, the transition of the 91-year-old designer was a moment to celebrate the legacy of his impact 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, our models have found favour with the Armani team in Milan. 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 his Italian home surrounded by family. A private funeral service was held in the Italian province of Rivalta, 100 kilometres from the village of Piacenza, where he was born. He 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.

His empire was worth more than £7.44 billion by family at the time of his death, expanded beyond clothes to home furnishings, perfumes, books, flowers, bars, clubs and restaurants.