Armani’s last legacy is in the Philippines
Besides its whopping 500-sq.m. area, the store stands out for directly shipping everything in store — from lighting and shelves, to curtains, rugs, tiles and paints — straight from Italy.
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Besides its whopping 500-sq.m. area, the store stands out for directly shipping everything in store — from lighting and shelves, to curtains, rugs, tiles and paints — straight from Italy.
Proud of its Italian heritage, the brand shipped everything from Milan, including paints and tiles.
Dressing rooms.
Women’s line.
As if being the world’s biggest EA7 store weren’t enough, the boutique opened in SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City last Wednesday is a historic one linked to late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani.
“This is very important because the brand’s new concept in the Philippines is also the last project that Giorgio Armani approved before he passed away last year,” Jerrich Divinagracia, Philippines brand head for EA7 Milan, exclusively told DAILY TRIBUNE.
“It’s kind of strange because in Milan, there’s no EA7 physical store. It’s under Emporio Armani. (But the brand noticed that) in Asia, Southeast Asia, the people here love to wear athleisure line for everyday use because it’s already a part of their lifestyle. Unlike in Europe, it’s not that they’re not allowed, but it’s a no-no for them to wear athleisure on a daily basis. Their gym clothes can’t be worn for the office every day, unlike what we’re doing here in Southeast Asia. That’s why we noticed there’s a bigger market here in the Philippines for athleisure line,” she explained on why the brand decided to open its biggest store in the world in the Philippines.
The price range of Armani’s athleisure and lifestyle line, according to Divinagracia, is also “accessible” to target Southeast Asian, young professional consumers — from P7,000 to P30,000.
“And we matched the (Philippine) price also in Hong Kong. Because the biggest sales for EA7 are Hong Kong and Macau,” she shared. “So customers need not go or mention that they’d rather buy in Hong Kong… So if they want to start having a luxury brand collection, our brand is a good way to start.”
Besides its whopping 500-sq.m. area, the store stands out for directly shipping everything in store — from lighting and shelves, to curtains, rugs, tiles and paints — straight from Italy.
“Even the hangers, the paper bags, stickers, modules, gondola, chairs — we shipped everything from Milan. And for the fabric, of course, knowing Armani, it’s quality first,” Divinagracia said.
For its soft opening, the store offers 20 percent of its entire spring-summer 2026 collection, where key pieces include windbreakers that are ideal for the Philippines especially during the monsoon season.
“Here in the Philippines, it’s very humid, so we have to make sure that the technology we’re using in our clothes is very Dri-Fit and comfortable.”
Eighty percent of the items are for men, 10 percent for women and 10 percent are accessories. Bestsellers include baseball cap, shoes, bags, polo shirts, hoodies and pants. There are also items with big or discreet logos depending on wearers’ preference. The items include Asian fit, ideal for the local body type, Divinagracia assured.
For the store’s 16 September grand opening, the store will carry the brand’s full-blown collections, including the latest fall-winter collection to sum up to 1,700 items. Special discounts are up for the grand opening, which will be graced by principals from Hong Kong and Milan, Divinagracia revealed.
After SM Mall Asia, four more stores are in the pipeline, including one in Glorietta and a bigger, 600-sq.m. one in SM Megamall, which once opened, would break the record of the SM Mall of Asia shop as the world’s biggest.
Launched in 2004 as a high-performance sports offshoot of the Emporio Armani fashion house, EA7 stands for Emporio Armani while the number seven was famously inspired by Ukrainian star footballer Andriy Shevchenko, Armani’s close friend who wore the number 7 shirt for AC Milan at the time. It is also the seventh line to be released by the fashion empire, said Divinagracia.
Thematically, the number also refers to seven traditional sporting values, including excellence, teamwork, dedication, fair play, tolerance, respect and national pride.
