A lone red rose outside Armani as Milan mourns its 'king' of fashion

By Hanna Rantala and Elisa Anzolin

MILAN (Reuters) -A lone red rose tied to the barrier outside the offices of Giorgio Armani in Milan's fashion district marked a quiet and poignant tribute to the legendary Italian designer on Friday as the city mourned his death at the age of 91.

The "king" of Italian fashion died on Thursday, half a century after he founded his namesake company, which has since grown into a luxury goods conglomerate spanning haute couture to perfume, make-up and even furniture.

"Beyond the artist, beyond the great king of fashion, we've lost a man with a big heart," Milan resident Gabriella Voccia told Reuters. "It's so sad."

In the tree-lined cul-de-sac housing the Armani offices, clothes deliveries arrived as usual while an exhibition area that has hosted catwalk shows was prepared as a chamber to hold Armani's coffin for the public to pay their respects.

There will be a private funeral on Monday afternoon.

"With Armani, an era comes to an end, an era where Italy was able to showcase its creativity in the world," said Milan resident Stefano Del Frate.

The death of Armani, who kept a tight grip over the empire he created, has shorn Italy of a national icon, prompting an outpouring of grief and tributes from celebrities, shoppers and fashion leaders.

"He kept his independence and I think that ... what he would like is continuity," Federico Marchetti, founder of e-retailer Yoox-Net-a-Porter (YNAP) and an Armani Group board member since 2020, told Reuters in an interview.

By holding onto his company in full, Armani set himself apart from the owners of other Italian brands which are now in foreign hands.

"He's definitely a symbol for Italy, no? Because he didn't sell his company," Marchetti said, adding that family members involved in the running of the group and its management would stay true to his legacy thanks to the very detailed guidelines Armani left for the future of the company.

"There's no possibility to go off track too much," said Marchetti who in 2018 sold YNAP to Cartier-owner Richemont.

Tributes to the designer, who started out as a window dresser at La Rinascente department store in Milan's main square before his displays caught the eye of designer Nino Cerruti, flooded the front pages of Italian papers.

"The world's embrace for the Lord of Fashion," Milanese daily Corriere della Sera wrote, next to the picture of a smiling Armani with a pencil in his hand.

"At work until the very end," the newspaper wrote, describing how, until shortly before his death, Armani had been reviewing dresses for a planned September 28 catwalk show.

Armani's show is scheduled to close Milan's womenswear fashion week later this month in the courtyard of Pinacoteca di Brera, the city's main art gallery, an event which was also intended to celebrate the brand's 50-year anniversary.

The designer's impact was global, and across the decades he dressed celebrities from Richard Gere to Julia Roberts to Lady Gaga. Questions now turn to where the company he led goes next and who takes the helm.

"I am shocked," said Angelique Benfield, passing by the Giorgio Armani store in Beverly Hills. "So definitely an icon in the fashion industry."

(Writing by Valentina Za and Hanna Rantala; Additional reporting by Sarah Wemy in Los Angeles; Editing by Adam Jourdan, Ros Russell, Philippa Fletcher)