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For stylist and art director Karlmond Tang , his love affair with vintage Giorgio Armani started six or seven years ago with a discovery in the most labour-intensive of discount mines: TK Maxx. “I actually first started with a two piece Le Collezioni Giorgio suit. It’s still too big and never been altered,” he says.

“I just wanted it so bad because of what it stood for to me. After that I had ideas of wanting to recreate their iconic black and white unisex imagery from the ‘80s and ‘90s. ” Galvanised by those immaculately simple campaigns – particularly those in collaboration with photographer Aldo Fallai who, Armani once said, “created scenes of life, evoked atmospheres and sketched portraits full of character” – Tang was hooked.



Over time, he added to his growing collection of vintage Armani suits, eventually buying pieces that came with their own biographies. “My first memorable vintage purchase was someone’s Boyz II Men-esque, white collarless suit which they’d worn for their wedding,” he says. Nowadays, Tang’s archive includes two more wedding suits , and a bunch of womenswear tailoring too.

There’s always been value in vintage Giorgio Armani. In the 1980 film American Gigolo , Richard Gere wore structured Armani tailoring throughout, including a stand-out grey sports jacket cut with narrow lapels and a slim fit. Years later, the designer told System magazine that this moment led to “phenomenal success” for his brand, marking the poi.

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