Company Press Release:
 
GIORGIO ARMANI AND SAMSUNG ANNOUNCE NEW STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
New Delhi, September 24th, 2007: Samsung Electronics, a market leader in consumer electronics, and Giorgio Armani, one of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle design companies, have today 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.  
 
Jong-Yong Yun, 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 recognised 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 recognising 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.


About Samsung Electronics:
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2006 parent company sales of US$63.4 billion and net income of US $8.5billion. Employing approximately 138,000 people in 124 offices in 56 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Network Business and Digital Appliance Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com

About the Armani Group:
The Armani Group is one of the leading fashion and luxury goods groups in the world today with 4,900 direct employees and 13 factories. It designs, manufactures, distributes and retails fashion and lifestyle products including apparel, accessories, eyewear, watches, jewellery, home furnishings, fragrances and cosmetics under a range of brand names: Giorgio Armani Privé, Giorgio Armani, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, AJ | Armani Jeans, A/X Armani Exchange, Armani Junior, Armani Baby and Armani Casa. The Group’s exclusive retail network currently comprises: 73 Giorgio Armani boutiques, 12 Armani Collezioni stores, 140 Emporio Armani stores, 115 A/X Armani Exchange stores, 18 AJ | Armani Jeans stores, 7 Armani Junior stores, 1 Giorgio Armani Accessori, 1 Emporio Armani Accessori store and 25 Armani Casa stores in 46 countries. The Armani Group has also announced its intention to open a unique collection of luxury hotels and resorts in the world’s most important cities and destinations.