Shoppers hunt for vintage Armani after designer's death

By Helen Reid and Tassilo Hummel

LONDON (Reuters) -Online searches for vintage Armani clothes have surged since Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani died on Thursday, as shoppers scoured second-hand outlets for his styles.

Armani, who led his eponymous company and remained in control of designs right up until his death at 91, was prolific, producing everything from expensive high-end suits to more modestly priced jeans and sportswear under the Emporio Armani brand.

Searches containing the word "Armani" on Vinted, Europe's biggest second-hand clothing marketplace, were almost three times higher than average on Thursday following the news of Armani's passing, a spokesperson for Vinted told Reuters.

U.S. luxury resale site The RealReal said searches for Armani were up 212% on Thursday compared to Wednesday. And Google searches for "vintage Armani" also spiked on Thursday, according to Google Trends data, with interest particularly high in Armani's native Italy and in the UK.

On second-hand fashion app Vestiaire Collective, users across Europe listed their Giorgio Armani pieces for sale on Friday, including a black 1990s silk blazer for 245 pounds ($330.97) and a leather and rabbit fur jacket from 2002 for 571 pounds ($771.36).

Ammar Boulai, who runs luxury second-hand menswear boutique Chez Ammar in Paris, said he would not be surprised to see an uptick in demand for Armani suits from the 1970s and 80s, on the back of the current trend for retro styles with wide trousers and fluid fabrics.

"Four or five years ago, these 80s style suits were impossible to sell. Now they are really in vogue, but impossible to find," said Boulai.

"It's hard to tell how much is in stocks and will re-enter the market. Armani produced a lot, had many sub-brands, so there must be a lot out there... maybe people will open their drawers now," he added.

($1 = 0.7402 pounds)

(Reporting by Helen Reid in London and Tassilo Hummel in Paris, Additional reporting by Mimosa Spencer in Paris and Afiq Fitri Alias in London, Editing by Louise Heavens)