“Sergio Galeotti was Tuscan, a great talker, so extroverted that he seemed the exact opposite of Giorgio [Armani],” wrote Renata Molho in Being Armani, “About ten years younger than Armani, he sparked with an enthusiasm that was contagious. No one who met him failed to respond to his overwhelming exuberance, his generous nature, his infectious optimism, and his love of life.”
Armani decided to leave his well-paying position at Cerruti in 1966 and join forces with Galeotti, “We sold everything we could get rid of in order to buy a worktable and a few lamps to furnish the studio, which consisted of two rooms, one of which was a business office for Sergio, and the other room, the design space where I did my job.”
Like-minded partners with different skillsets–such as Armani and Galeotti–can be a powerful combination. Napoleon Hill, wrote in his masterwork Think and Grow Rich: “The story of practically every great fortune starts with the day when a creator of ideas and a seller of ideas got together and worked in harmony.” These words bring to mind famous tech company founders like Jobs & Wozniak, Gates & Allen, and Page & Brin. But to take Hill’s observation a step further, the story of many powerful tribes, too, begins when a creator/inventor and a networker/marketer join forces.
The two Italians worked in harmony: “Sergio Galeotti proved very skillful in managing the marketing and sales division of the company,” wrote Molho, “leaving Armani totally free to focus on his work: ‘He gave me the time to design, and he would manage the customer contacts.’” Armani designed suits with the padding removed to emphasize the wearer’s unique physique. His designs quickly became popular with artists, actors, and architects. Financial success came quickly too as the Armani jacket was embraced throughout the world as a status symbol.
“The term love is too narrow,” Armani told Vanity Fair, “We were allies, in the face of life and the rest of the world.” Armani shared a long portion of his life, both personal and professional with Galeotti, their partnership only ended due to Sergio’s leukemia related death in 1985.
