Designer Giorgio Armani apparently did not like the haute couture offerings at Rome's Fashion Week, which ended on Feb 3, 2009. Nymag.com reported that he told Italian press that Rome "has killed high fashion by showcasing people who didn't merit it."

And many in Rome's fashion elite did not take kindly to his remarks.

Many designers in Rome say that if one of Italy's most famous fashion names was true to his Italian roots he would hold his shows in Rome rather than cast disparaging remarks about the people who do.

Neapolitan designer Fausto Sarli, a fixture on Rome's haute couture scene, said that the designer's comments were not helpful during these recession-hit times, while designer Guillermo Mariotto from Gattinoni returned with his own comment: "I see no future of couture in Armani."