Few relationships between photographer and designer have stood the test of time as the one between Aldo Fallai and Giorgio Armani. With an uninterrupted artistic dialogue in the industry lasting for over 30 years, a new Sloane Street exhibition celebrates the duo’s finest work.

First showcased in Milan in December 2023, Aldo Fallai per Giorgio Armani features 26 images, all taken between 1977 and 2021, alongside four infographics. Curated by Giorgio Armani himself with Rosanna Armani and Leo Dell’Orco, the show spotlights the unique relationship between photographer and designer, and how a collaboration of artistic styles came to define the very essence of Armani’s aesthetic.

An immediate melding of creative minds, the pair first met in the mid-1970s, when Armani was a young freelance designer and Fallai a recently graduated graphic designer with a penchant for photography. Inspired by the changing social landscape, Armani was determined to redefine notions of masculinity and femininity – heralding the era of the power suit, no matter the gender. Shaping Armani’s distinct style, Fallai’s cinematic eye and use of neo-realism created a mise-en-scène that heightened the profound authenticity of the designer’s pieces: these were real clothes, worn in real life by real people. 

A series of portraits shot largely in black and white, Fallai and Armani’s work has the feel of a feature film, the clothes offering a subtle complement to character and narrative – a reflection of Armani’s ethos that elegance is not about being noticed, but about being remembered.

 Fallai explains, “Both of us were interested in highlighting an aspect of style linked to character and personality, and this translated into images that appear just as relevant today as they did yesterday.”

A notable example of this signature style is a 1984 image of model Antonia Dell’Atte, gazing into a bright future while holding a newspaper in the middle of the crowd on Via Durini by the Armani office. Her sharp lapels and statement shoulder-padded blazer are a true materialisation of the new-era business woman, a trope that would become synonymous with the brand. Elsewhere, for Armani’s Fall/Winter 1990 collection, a suited couple recline on a wicker chair as if caught off-duty on set – more a behind-the-scenes glimpse than typical campaign imagery.

 Of the career-long collaboration, Armani said, “Working with Aldo allowed me from the very beginning to transform the vision I had in my mind into real images: to communicate that my clothes were not just made in a certain way with certain colours and materials, but that they represented a way of life. Because style, for me, is a total form of expression.”

Aldo Fallai per Giorgio Armani runs from 12 May to 2 June 2024, free to visit at the Giorgio Armani store.

 37-42 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9LP; armani.com