GIORGIO ARMANI has been one of Hollywood’s favourite designers since 1980, when he designed the costumes for Richard Gere in the film American Gigolo.

Last month actor Leonardo DiCaprio, with singers Bono, Beyoncé, Bryan Ferry and Andrea Bocelli, headed an all-star line up at an Armani show in London that raised money for a charity to fight Aids in Africa, as well as showcasing his autumn-winter collections.

Signor Armani’s origins were humbler: he often tells the story of how he had “so little money” that he sold his beloved Volkswagen Beetle in order to stage his first fashion show in a Milanese restaurant in 1975.

Born at Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, Armani started out as a window dresser for a department store, after studying medicine and then photography.

He joined Nino Cerruti, the fashion house, in 1961, then in 1974 set up Giorgio Armani SpA with his partner Sergio Galeotti, who died of Aids in 1985. His sister Rosanna later joined the firm.

Thirty years on, Signor Armani is branching out into the luxury hotel business after a partnership with Emaar properties, the Dubai developer, for a worldwide “collection” of Armani luxury hotels and resorts with equity of more than €3 billion (£2 billion).

He weighed into the recent controversy over “anorexic” models, saying that although he had always chosen models “on the slender side”, he was “not responsible for setting a trend towards models who look anorexic. As so often in the fashion world, things have been taken to extremes.”

Last month he declared that he “loved London” as a multicultural capital with a thriving youth culture and praised British designers such as Burberry, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.

But he also took a swipe at British “scruffiness”, which he attributed to “inverse snobbery — the wealthier you are the less well you dress”.

Italy, he said, believed in “la bella figura”, “presenting your best appearance to the world at all times, even if you don’t have much money”.

The Italian group now embraces six brands: Giorgio Armani Armani Privé, Armani Emporio, Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans and Ax.