CALL FOR PEACE: Giorgio Armani is not one to shy away from sharing his blunt opinion and trying to change the status quo.
On Thursday, the designer and entrepreneur penned an open letter published in Italy’s newspaper La Repubblica addressing the current state of upheaval roiling Europe and the world at large.
In his short but dense remarks, Armani expressed his concerns for the “rising forces of division” unfolding in the Old Continent, openly criticizing the nationalist rhetoric and voicing his belief in the power of unity under the European Union.
Referencing the ongoing conflicts without mentioning them openly, he recalled his childhood experience of wartime and called for “cooperation, mutual support and unity.”
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Taking a somewhat political stance, he signed the letter “Giorgio Armani, committed European, committed pacifist.”
“I write this open letter with the conviction that I am expressing a shared sentiment, in hope that my message will be heard. I am a proud Italian citizen and an equally proud European. The rising forces of division do not just sadden me, they deeply unsettle me. The thirst for conquest, the hunger for power can only bring destruction,” Armani wrote. “I bear indelible memories of this, dating back to my childhood, when I witnessed firsthand the horrors of war.
“In today’s fragile geopolitical landscape, the true strength of the European Union lies in cooperation, mutual support and unity. Acting as one does not erase the identity of individual nations, on the contrary, it reinforces them,” he continued.
“The rhetoric of nationalism is reckless, we can only move forward together. We saw this not long ago, during the pandemic, when a renewed sense of solidarity brought us closer, rekindling values we had neglected and awakening in us a shared aspiration: to improve ourselves,” Armani wrote.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 was ravaging the world, Armani penned an open letter to WWD reflecting on the absurdity of the state of fashion back then, “with the overproduction of garments and a criminal nonalignment between the weather and the commercial season,” asking for a “courageous and necessary” shift.
In Thursday’s open letter to the Italian daily, Armani continued saying that “today, as international tensions threaten to escalate into a far greater conflict, it is more urgent than ever to restore cooperation and defend democracy against any assault.
“My words alone cannot change the course set by those who have led us to this moment, but I hope they may inspire reflection. Without Europe, we are diminished, vulnerable, exposed to the ambitions of those who believe only in the power of conquest. We must not allow ourselves to fracture, we must stand together and uphold the principles of democracy,” he wrote.
