Giorgio Armani Donates One Million Dollars In NYC

Giorgio Armani and guests including Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Victoria Beckham and Josh Hartnett (to name just a few) celebrated the Grand Opening of New York's Fifth Avenue concept store on Wednesday, February 18th.

For the first time in the U.S., all of the Armani brands will be available under one roof. Armani 5th Avenue will include the U.S. debut of their Armani/Dolci retail area and on the top floor will be the first Armani/Ristorante with a fabulous view overlooking Fifth Avenue.

In New York a crowd of star studded visitors arrived for the opening of the Giorgio Armani flagship on Fifth Avenue. In attendance along with the Hollywood celebrities was Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York and Caroline Kennedy due to the very generous gifts the Italian designer has donated to the Fund for Public Schools, where Kennedy is vice chairwoman and the Armani Arts Institution which Mayor Bloomberg was in attendance to honor.

His gift for the Armani Arts Institution will help burgeoning young talents in the Bronx, where, Bloomberg noted, the iconic American designers Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren have their roots.  The total amount of his gift was $1 million dollars.

Dubbing the Fifth Avenue store "Guggenheim Two," referring to the famous spiral architecture of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Bloomberg thanked Armani for "an expression of confidence in New York City."

Calling New York "a city full of young dreamers," Kennedy said that the gift was by far the largest single donation by any retailer.

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