In the early 80's Giorgio Armani S.p.A. established an important licence agreement with L'Oreal (formerly H.Rubinstein) for fragrances and also launched the Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans lines. In the same period Giorgio Armani S.p.A. opened the first Emporio Armani store (Milan) followed the next year with the opening of the first Giorgio Armani boutique (Milan). The company also began to strengthen its commercial and marketing divisions, while building the values of its brands and the philosophy of management, which continue to be an important focus today.In the second half of the 80's, Giorgio Armani S.p.A. continued the overseas expansion by opening Giorgio Armani Japan through a joint venture with Japanese Itochu Corporation and the Seibu Department Store in 1987, followed by a licensing agreement for eyewear with Luxottica Group Spa in 1988.

As part of its strategy to maintain control over product quality and distribution, Giorgio Armani S.p.A. initiated a series of share investments, which today include Intai Spa (100%), Antinea Srl (100%) and the manufacturing company Simint Spa (100%), which complete acquisition was finalized in 2001.

In 1999, a new Accessories Division was created, and the first e-commerce presence initiated with armaniexchange.com in the United States.

In 2000, Giorgio Armani's 25th anniversary year, the company acquired the production facilities of Armani Collezioni men's line and of sales and distribution of the Armani Collezioni and Mani labels in the United States. The company also launched its global web site, established a joint venture with Zegna Group (51% Armani, 49% Zegna) for the production and distribution of the Armani Collezioni men's line, launched Giorgio Armani Cosmetics, Armani Casa and opened the worldwide flagship store Armani/Via Manzoni 31.