Giorgio Armani, Samsung
Forge New Strategic Alliance

First lifestyle products: Giorgio Armani-Samsung luxury mobile phone and luxury LCD television

Samsung Electronics, a market leader in consumer electronics, and Giorgio Armani, one of the world's leading fashion and lifestyle design companies, have announced a groundbreaking strategic alliance for the development of innovative portable and home consumer electronics products, founded on the combination of Giorgio Armani's iconic design aesthetic and Samsung's cutting edge technology.
Giorgio Armani will create the design aesthetic and Samsung will provide technology and function, complementing each brand's historical success. Portable products will be developed for both the signature Giorgio Armani and fashion-forward Emporio Armani lifestyles, while home electronics products will be developed as part of the Armani/Casa home interiors lifestyle. The new products will be distributed in upscale consumer electronics stores and through Giorgio Armani's direct controlled retail network.
Yun Jong-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, said:,
"Today's increasingly style-conscious consumers demand products that combine modern design with optimum performance and functionality. This powerful partnership will match great design with leading technology to ensure performance is as impressive as appearance. It will aim to satisfy the growing consumer demand for style and simplicity in portable and home entertainment products and will enable both partners to reach new audiences and further connect with existing ones. Giorgio Armani has become iconic for his contemporary yet sophisticated design aesthetic. He is also now recognized to be a pioneer in lifestyle design through his home interiors collection, his restaurants and cafes and his upcoming hotels and residences."
Giorgio Armani, President and Chief Executive Officer of Giorgio Armani S.p.A., said:, "Today fashion has expanded to encompass our way of life, not just how we dress, but how we design our home, the hotels we stay in, the car we drive and the technology we buy. In fact, we make as much of a personal statement with the mobile phones that we carry or the televisions we have in our living rooms as we do with the shoes and bags we wear or the furnishings we chose to place in our homes. These are all lifestyle decisions, where design and performance are the criteria. Samsung has successfully anticipated the growing role for consumer electronics in our lives, while recognizing the importance of self-expression in the development of its products."The first jointly developed products under the new strategic alliance will be:
The Giorgio Armani-Samsung luxury mobile phone, which will be unveiled during Milan Women's Fashion Week at the Armani/Teatro on Monday 24th September, the day of Giorgio Armani's signature collection fashion show.
The Giorgio Armani-Samsung Mobile will meet the needs of those who aspire to own a technologically advanced telephone with which to communicate and complete their lifestyle. The size of a credit and a mere 10.5 mm in thickness, it is anticipated that the Giorgio Armani ― Samsung mobile phone will quickly achieve an iconic status. It will be available in selected mobile phone stores and Giorgio Armani boutiques in major European countries from November 2007, with expansion to other markets planned for 2008.
The Armani/Casa-Samsung luxury LCD television will be unveiled in January 2008. nw

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman
Yun Jong-yong

Giorgio Armani