Global cool
We talk to John Hooks, Giorgio Armani’s #2, about luxury, India’s commonality with Italy, and how he’s not really a stylish person at all. (And even if he was, he would never admit it.)
It has these negative connotations as something frivolous or superfluous, but I think it’s actually very necessary. We all have special moments in our lives when we need that intensity, that extra colour or emotion. That’s what gifts are, and weddings. Luxury is a basic human need.
How did your fascination with luxury begin?
I was a working-class Irish boy in London, so I didn’t exactly grow up around luxury goods. But I was entranced by Italy—the history, the beauty, the culture. It’s no accident that Italy’s the home of so much craftsmanship. It goes way beyond fashion. Italy’s the quintessential root of Europe.
India occupies a similar role in the East—a source of culture, a root.
Well, yes, very similar. And India is full of regional differences, too, like Italy.
But isn’t India’s aesthetic more loud and ornate, whereas Italy’s is more simple and understated?
You say that but each culture is so rich and broad. Remember Italy produced both Armani and Versace. And similarly in India, there’s also a great tradition of simplicity and austerity.
Will Armani tweak his Italian style for Indian sensibilities?
Well, Giorgio Armani isn’t strictly a Latin designer—he’s inspired by India, China, Hollywood, Japan. He creates fashion for modern contemporary people all over the world. I think there’s a common global aesthetic happening, you see it everywhere. In the way we decorate our homes, how we eat. Everyone’s eating sushi now!
What are the essential ingredients of a stylish life?
If you think you’re leading a stylish life, then you’re not doing it! Not even my best friends would call me stylish.
What about being green? Suddenly fashion designers are talking about sustainability like it’s a new thing.
Yes, but that just shows how successful these ideas are, that they’ve occupied the mainstream. We all need to find that balance—balance is something that India can teach us a lot about. We’re so profligate, it’s human nature. I don’t do enough, myself. I’m wasteful, I admit it.
But you must lead a stylish life by definition. It’s your job. You live in Milan and fly to London every month. You wear Armani suits every day…
Ha ha! I do, I suppose. I’ve probably got about 20 suits, but I’m on the business side, so they’re mostly navy blue.
Sounds like a nice life to me.
I don’t know—it still means I have to wear a suit every day!
