Associate professor of Italian Studies | author | entrepreneur | host & creator of the YouTube channel Italian Innovators
A distinguishing trait of Armani as a true #innovator can be drawn from the rivalry of two key figures in the Italian #renaissance: Baldassar Castiglione and Nicolò Machiavelli. You might be familiar with Machiavelli, political and strategic thinker, and author of The Prince. If you have not heard of Castiglione, he was a renowned diplomat and the author of the century’s most important manual The courtier (Il cortigiano). In the book, which describes the qualities that are needed to thrive in a court, Castiglione presents #fashion, gestures, and etiquette as non-verbal codes, capable of speaking without words, of revealing without ostentation, of showing sophistication without exaggeration. Now, it is easy to see in Armani’s style Castiglione’s notion of sophisticated effortlessness, or, in his word, “sprezzatura”. It is less immediate to recognize his Machiavellian side, intended here not as a form of cynical thinking, but rather as a form of #business realism. In his entrepreneurial journey, Armani bridged the gap between Castiglione’s sprezzatura and Machiavelli’s strategic mindset, and went beyond the industry model, separating the #designer from the CEO, creation from #management. His unique ability to maintain ownership of both his #style and #leadership gave his company a decades-long edge and endurance in the fashion market. Check out the full episode at 👉 bit.ly/innovatorsarmani #italianinnovators
