Giorgio Armani is chairman, president and CEO of his namesake company and sole owner of the fashion house. The designer belied tradition by steering the financial as well as creative sides of the business following the death of his partner. Over the past 30 years, the fashion empire has flourished and diversified debt-free, guided by an icon whose harshest criticism may be “consistency.”

Before he gained renown as the father of the deconstructed suit (made famous by Richard Gere in “American Gigolo”), Armani studied medicine at the University of Piacenza in northern Italy and dabbled in photography. He also served two years in the Italian Army, where he was assigned to an infirmary. He began his career as a buyer and window dresser at La Rinascente department stores and eventually started designing men’s wear for Nino Cerruti.

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In 1975, at the age of 40, he co-founded Giorgio Armani SpA with Sergio Galeotti. They began with men’s apparel. A year later came women’s suits, just as women were making inroads to the executive ranks of corporate America. The designer’s signature soft lines and muted color palettes defined the power suit of the 1980s.

Based in Milan, Italy, the Armani universe includes jeans, fragrances, eyewear, home goods, jewelry, luxury hotels and the Armani Privé haute couture, which was launched in 2005. Armani has also opened a spa in Tokyo and licensed the name to Samsung for cell phones and LCD TVs.