Another year and then we will be able to admire this new superyacht destined to make the history of YACHTING and yacht design. delivery is in fact scheduled in 2024 but from the first images made available WE can already DETECT the distinctive features of the world’s most famous and celebrated Italian fashion brand for research and style as well as for unparalleled elegance.
It was February when the Italian shipyard The Italian Sea Group unveiled this 72-meter Admiral megayacht at an exclusive private event held at its Marina di Carrara headquarters, which celebrated the collaboration between the Admiral brand and the Giorgio Armani maison, a merger between the excellence of the two worlds of yachting and fashion. Over 650 guests including yacht owners, brokers, shareholders, authorities, VIPs and media were welcomed in a unique atmosphere where an intriguing laser show magically unveiled the layout of the megayacht, whose hull and superstructure, already joined, were elegantly hidden by a white transparent panel.
In this exciting context the fashion show of the Giorgio Armani spring/summer 2023 men’s and women’s collections came to life and ended with a big and heartfelt final applause. The event saw the personal participation of Giorgio Armani.
In his speech Giovanni Costantino, founder and CEO of The Italian Sea Group, passionately illustrated the Group’s values, retraced the most significant moments in the company’s history and the origin of the partnership with the iconic fashion house.
Developed by Giorgio Armani and his team in collaboration with the Admiral Style Centre, the project was launched in 2020 with the mission to blend the DNA of the two brands to create a one-of-a-kind, avant-garde megayacht.
This article is published in Superyacht Digest, Summer Issue 2023
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At the unveiling event, Giovanni Costantino told the story behind the birth of the collaboration between the Admiral brand and the historic maison for the new megayacht Admiral 72 by Giorgio Armani.
“In 2019, I was in Milan and walking through the downtown streets when my gaze was captured by one of the shopwindows of the Armani store”. It was with that walk that all the story has then originated. “After 8 months we were ready to start but there was something that still missed, and it was the alchemy between us, beyond our intentions. We simply needed to share the same right feeling and find the perfect chemistry between Armani and Costantino”.
To verify the existence of this missing ingredient, the ‘duo’ met in what the founder of Tisg defined as “an exciting meeting, a very pleasant 20-minute chat after which Armani left me to come back after a while with a book and a pencil and announced me that he would design his first yacht for The Italian Sea Group”.
The relationship between the shipyard and Giorgio Armani was then further consolidated with the refitting of the ‘King George’s’ yacht, the Main, that underwent some restyling works at Tisg in Marina di Carrara.
Admiral 72 by Giorgio Armani is the first of the two yachts entirely designed by Giorgio Armani, whose unmistakable style is immediately recognisable in both the exterior lines and the refined interiors.
The yacht develops over three decks in addition to the sundeck and lower deck and is wrapped in a coherent design from stern to bow with a balance of shapes and external spaces. The bow has an important external bridge which conveys the idea of a yacht with a noble and gentle character which nevertheless is eager to be admired.
The lines are streamlined and sweet at the same time, making the yacht as sporty as elegant: the contemporary design remains conservative and never excessive, the final result recalls the Armani philosophy, a forever classic.
The design of the exterior, featuring a clear architectural influence, is both meticulous and captivating: large, sharp, geometric volumes are perfectly balanced with curvier, softer shapes, for an ensemble that is majestic yet dynamic.
Thanks to the large, full-height glazed openings, the effect inside is one of being seamlessly immersed in light and the surrounding environment, which can be adjusted thanks to a clever positioning of sliding panels.
Timeless minimalism, which has always been part of the designer’s creative philosophy, redefines the very essence of the high-end megayacht concept in a radical yet elegant way, basing itself on the principles of simplicity and sophistication.
Armany style’s apparent minimalism finds its counterpoint in the use of precious and refined materials, fine finishes and in the skilful mix of soft or vibrant colors.
As well as in the Armani/Casa collection, also his interior designs project amplify Giorgio Armani’s aesthetic philosophy, characterized by discreet and refined luxury and whispered shades. The décor is decisive but relaxed, the general harmony is given by the set of elements skilfully merged into an unquestionably exclusive unicum.
ARMANI, the history of fashion and style
Worldwide synonymous of Italian style and elegance, Giorgio Armani is at the head of a vast empire, not surprisingly he is called King George, and his is a kingdom which has lasted a very long time, since 1975. The catwalks of Armani showed from the very beginning those key elements which then made his fortune: the women’s jacket modeled on that of men, but unstructured, became the symbol of the new career women in need of practical elegance. The revolution was then applied to men’s clothes: his drooping jackets, the softness of the fabrics and soft colors brought back the image of a man elegant, but not austere, vain, but not extravagant.
The pearl gray, red Tibetan, the deep blue of the sea evoke his beloved Pantelleria, where he spends a lot of time and the East whose philosophies fascinate him to the point of being able to translate into his clothes an unusual and typical Giorgio Armani spirituality.
In 1982 Giorio Armani earned his first important cover of the magazine Time which celebrated him by writing: “Clothes are the fabric of history, the texture of time. And this time, right now, belongs to Armani”. Celebrities and ordinary people found in his collections the answer to the new needs of the times.
Between the late ‘70s and early ‘80s Giorgio Armani was one of the people who most contributed to the success of the Made in Italy and to make Milan what it is today – the capital of fashion – but also had great foresight.
In the year 2000 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of New York dedicated a commemorative exhibition for his first 25 years of activity with a collection of 500 dresses, including some looks engraved in the collective memory because worn in famous movies or on the red carpet.
This is why adjectives are not enough to define the armani style but it is necessary to retrace its great history. The pioneer of simplicity, beauty of the lines, lightness and superfine good taste that remains over time like a delicate touch to the soul.
FROM FASHION TO DESIGN
Armani style is today applied also to home design, home and lifestyle accessories, up to architecture with two luxury hotels in Dubai and in Milan in which elegance reigns with measure, clean lines, soothing and sophisticated colors, which define Armani style.
For a number of years now, since 2003, the Armani/ Casa Interior Design Studio has been the vehicle for offering both private individuals and property developers a comprehensive service beginning with the conceptual design phase right through to supervising the execution of the project. Under his supervision, the studio develops specific creative solutions, which are always the result of scrupulous research into architecture, form and materials, moreover, taking into account the cultural context, the geography of the place, and the building structure within which one operates.
For Giorgio Armani design consists of the creation of objects, environments, and garments that endure over time without losing their appeal or the ability to enhance the personality of those who have selected them. “It is a principle that I apply to everything. It is a matter of taste, and my taste reflects a predilection for sophisticated linearity”.
The Armani/Casa style is a preciously essential style, that is never excessive: beauty is delivered with simple lines, sophisticated materials, workmanship of the highest quality. Aesthetics and functionality inextricability linked together, ensuring the environment in which one lives is in synch with the person, thus becoming a place that makes one feel completely at ease.
These are all elements that create inevitable timeless aesthetics, because something that embodies beauty, elegance, simplicity and linearity is destined to never go stale.
Armani style is a constant reinvention or evolution of the classic, more and more softened and made more fluid, an action that results in its being updated. This principle is applicable to fashion just as to the home.
Making history of fashion, and desing, means not to be a victim of trends, which disappear after short time, losing consistency and solidity.
The owners of this yacht will certainly enjoy a truly special vessel, a real milestone in the history of yacht design. Although interactions among brands are no longer new and experimenting belongs to many realities, Admiral 72 by Giorgio Armani represents something more. The name Giorgio Armani represents the highest level of creativity and craftsmanship in contemporary history, synonymous with Greek perfection, beauty par excellence. This yacht therefore faces an important challenge that it absolutely cannot lose.
Those who challenge the limits are bold, courageous and have the great merit of opening possible new paths of great inspiration for the entire world. This is why Admiral 72 by Giorgio Armani is already part of the nautical history.
“This megayacht, the result of an exciting partnership of which I am extremely proud, is further confirmation of our way of being able to realize unique projects with Made in Italy brands of excellence that share our values”, comments Giovanni Costantino, Founder & CEO of The Italian Sea Group. “Giorgio Armani is synonymous with timeless elegance and sophistication, and his stylistic vision has also increased our stylistic sensitivity. This new yacht is projected to be positioned as a stylistic benchmark, also given the countless comments and regards we’ve received from various industry players. This therefore confirms our business model, which aims to customise every detail in order to make each of our works absolutely unique, in line with the vision and desire of each owner”.
“The sea and design are two of my greatest passions. With this new collaboration, I have extended my idea of furnishing and decor to the nautical world, in which – just as in fashion – aesthetics and functionality come together in a natural and elegant style. This highly stimulating project has allowedme to create customised spaces with Armani/Casa – like made-to-measure clothing – with the same craftsmanship applied to the choice of materials, details and production”, says Giorgio Armani, Chairman and CEO of the Armani Group.
