MILAN--It was 1988 when designer Giorgio Armani made his first appearance on the eyewear scene.

A gallery of photographs spanned 20 years of Armani’s eyewear designs and advertising images.

The designer with Sàfilo’s chairman Vittorio Tabacchi (r).

At Mido last month, the milestone of Armani’s 20th anniversary in the category was celebrated at the Armani/Prive salon here with international retailers, media and executives from Sàfilo S.p.A, Armani’s current licensing partner, on hand.

Claudio Gottardi, Sàfilo’s CEO (r), with Giorgio Armani.

Sàfilo USA’s John Wachsteter and Dick Russo, left, and Mark Ugenti, far right, greet Andrea Camerana, director of marketing and licensing for Giorgio Armani Group worldwide. Camerana is also Mr. Armani’s nephew.

Sàfilo is issuing two Limited Edition Giorgio Armani Occhiali pieces to mark the designer’s anniversary in eyewear.

The retrospective photographic exhibition showed advertising images reflecting the changes in lifestyle and the evolution of eyewear created by Giorgio Armani during those two decades.

Two iconic historical models of Giorgio Armani Occhiali were presented in new updated versions, highlighted as the 20th Anniversary Exclusive Edition eyewear. These limited and numbered editions are restricted to 1,020 pieces; one is the reconfiguration of the signature and model GA 634/N and the other is Model GA 646/N/S.

The designer himself toured the gallery, posing with Sàfilo executives and retail guests from Italy and around the world. ■