Credit: Jan Schroeder

Giorgio Armani is one of the most iconic fashion designers of all time. His brand, Armani, founded in 1975, became a renowned luxury fashion house that propelled his empire to €11.5 billion by the time of his death on September 4th, 2025. The Italian figure, who lived until the age of 91, was always open to collaborating with the best in any field, including hip-hop.

Back in 2016, Armani crossed paths with Future to promote a limited-edition Armani and Bugatti capsule collection. For the collaboration, they took part in a photoshoot, where they stood alongside each other to promote clothing and leather goods. Armani could be seen leaning on the Atlanta rapper and linking arms with him in front of a Bugatti hypercar in Milan.

One of the reasons for Bugatti recruiting Future was due to the success of his hit single ‘Bugatti’, a collaboration with Ace Hood and Rick Ross, which was one of the biggest songs of 2013. The track featured the iconic line, “I woke up in a new Bugatti,” and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Produced by Mike Will Made-It and DJ Khaled, the song has over 178 million Spotify streams and is certified platinum by the RIAA.

Although they come from two different worlds, Armani recognised Future as a superstar when it comes to rap music, likening each of their rises to success. “I know how much he suffers to be where he is,” he told GQ. “He’s suffered just like I’ve suffered. So… we’re friends in a way. It’s important to meet any icon in their field.”

When they met, Future was a bona fide star, fresh off his solo albums DS2 and Evol, and his collaborative mixtape with Drake, What a Time to Be Alive, all topping the Billboard 200 chart. Despite being one of the biggest artists in the world, he was still anxious about being around Armani due to his status in global culture.

“I have to go places beyond music,” he explained. “He’s seen all kinds of artists over the years. He can basically just look at you and tell. Sometimes I get nervous about being accepted by people like him, because you never know. But somehow my walk of life and his walk of life have connected.”

Having no doubt that crossing paths would influence his work, Future added, “My music is like a diary. I use every experience. He’s the top designer in the world. I’m the top rapper in the world. Some hits are going to come from this experience for sure.”

Armani echoed that same sentiment. No matter what he did in business, he benefitted from being around different people and meeting those from unique walks of life. “All of these different ventures just make me closer to other people,” he said. “Things that people love, like a good restaurant, connect me with them and them with me.” Future and Armani coming together was a piece of fashion and hip-hop history that will likely never be replicated.