Armani has been clothing the Italian team at the Winter Games since Sochi 2014. 

Emporio Armani, as formal wear partner of the Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation, will also create the staff's formal clothing.

Armani launched his eponymous Italian fashion house in Milan in 1975. 

"The partnership with the Foundation stems from the passion with which Giorgio Armani has always followed and supported the universe of Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and the values they embody, with the idea that fashion and sport can help improve people's lives," Milan Cortina 2026 said.

"Giorgio Armani's bond with the world of winter sports was born in 2012 with the collaboration with Italian and Swiss ski schools, continued with the Winter Tour format-event and with the collaboration with the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) for the Olympic Games and The Winter Paralympics of Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018, Beijing 2022, and the 2023 World Ski Championships [in Courchevel and Méribel]."

Armani's relationship, in fact, pre-dates even that as he designed the Italian flag bearers' outfits at the Opening Ceremony was the last time Italy hosted the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at Turin in 2006. 

Armani's career in fashion started in Milan in 1957 when he was employed as a window dresser and sales clerk at La Rinascente, a department store in the Italian city. 

He opened a design office in Milan in 1973 during which Armani worked as a freelance designer for a number of fashion houses, including Allegri, Bagutta, Hilton, Sicons, Gibò, Montedoro, and Tendresse, before starting his own label two years ago.

Armani is President of the Olimpia Milano basketball team and an Inter Milan fan.

Despite being an Inter fan, Armani designed and introduced the EA7 range after being inspired by Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko, who at the time played for A.C. Milan and wore the number 7 jersey.

It would have been unthinkable for Armani not to have been involved in the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

"Collaborating with the Olympic and Paralympic team on the occasion of Milano Cortina 2026 is a particularly significant occasion for me: it combines my passions, fashion and sport, in the setting of Milan, a recognised international metropolis, of which I am a proud citizen," Armani, who, according to Forbes, is worth $9.53 billion (£7.67 billion/€8.68 billion), said. 

"EA7 Emporio Armani is synonymous with technical research and style: dressing the athletes again will allow me to demonstrate the union of these two components on the field, during such an important event."

Giovanni Malagò, the President of Milan Cortina 2026 and of CONI, was pleased to have Armani on the team.

"For years, first through CONI and the Italia Team, and now also with this important partnership with the Organising Committee of the Games, Giorgio Armani has been participating, with intense passion, in the history of the blue sport and its victories," he said.

"His presence and friendship testify to a commitment that goes beyond competitions and speaks to the world of our creativity, our style, our excellence, including sporting excellence, with an extraordinarily authoritative voice.

"For this reason, the association between the Games and Armani makes us particularly proud, as well as confident about the success of our wonderful adventure."

Andrea Varnier, the Milan Cortina 2026 chief executive, added: "It is an honour to welcome a brand like Armani into the family of Olympic and Paralympic sponsors of Milano Cortina 2026.

"Combining the image of the Italian Games with Armani is very positive news for us which allows us to look ever further ahead with greater awareness and determination."