Giorgio Armani And Luca Guadagnino Are Collaborating On A Special Project

Cinema is a form of magic that's hard to resist,” Giorgio Armani tells Vogue. “I have often wondered what my life would have been without films. Surely, I would not have become the man and designer that I am today.”

The designer is musing over the silver screen as he prepares for the second instalment of his Armani/Laboratorio passion project. The filmmaking workshop, which will be held at Milan's Armani/Silos museum in November 2018, is a free intensive training course for young film fans and students. Successful Armani/Laboratorio applicants will learn the practice of directing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, production design, costume design, make-up and hair styling under the direction of Luca Guadagnino – the man behind I Am Love, A Bigger Splash and, most recently, Call Me By Your Name.

Armani refers to the mentoring scheme as a “film atelier” and his way of paying homage to an art form that has always inspired him. “When I was a child, I’d go to the cinema after school, and I imagined living the same adventures, the same emotions I saw projected on the screen,” he shares. “The pure elegance of Notorious, the intense suspension of reality in Vertigo, and the dark, entrancing aesthetics of Blade Runner… all forged my style as well as the way I understand both elegance and communication”. When director Paul Schrader commissioned Armani to create the suits for American Gigolo, the experience changed the designer's life.

Armani/Laboratorio was born out of his desire to share these stories with the next generation. “I have made it something of a personal mission to support and encourage young talents,” he says. “Mentoring is an excellent way to do this, as you are not simply imposing your beliefs on others, you are engaging with their opinions and encouraging them to fulfil their own potential. The relationship benefits the mentor as much as the mentee.”

Guadagnino will be joined by David Kajganich, who will lead the screenwriting workshops, Lucas Gath, who will helm the cinematography seminars, Walter Fasano on editing, Giulia Piersanti on costume design, Fernanda Perez on make-up and Manolo Garcia on hair styling. “I thought that all of us needed to get involved and send a strong signal of innovation and improvement,” Armani asserts. “The times we live in seem to neglect the concept of generational change.”