ARMANI FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES AS RALPH LAUREN

For decades it has been Armani´s recipe of success to remain loyal to its stylistic principles and avoid radical innovation. The recent developments show, however, that even a house lead by an extraordinary design genious cannot escape from the general shifts in the market: Also Armani will have to respond to the newness imperative raised by the millenial generation. According to the FT, luxury analysts recommend that Armani refocuses on the luxury segment, taking Louis Vuitton as the example. I believe that´s wrong. It is by far too late. Already about a decade or so ago, Armani has effectively decided to foster his Emporio-branded accessible brand and make it the dominant player. Emphasizing lifestyle over luxury, the Group has clearly down-graded to the volume segment, which was not a bad strategy itself for quite some time. But with that positioning, today, you will need to deliver much more: More innovation, more surprises and definitely more speed. That does not resonate with the culture of Armani, the founding principles that were nurturing the growth of a boutique up to a real fashion empire. I believe that the worlds of the two brands Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani  are about to split.

https://www.ft.com/content/ae3c35c4-707b-11e7-aca6-c6bd07df1a3c