Brunello Cucinelli (Q1887)
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Italian luxury fashion house
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Brunello Cucinelli |
Italian luxury fashion house |
Statements
The grand tour was an early ancestor of today’s mass tourism. This 18th century-onward trend was a way for the monied classes in Europe’s chilly north to venture south to Italy and Greece to broaden their cultural horizons and get away from their parents. This season Brunello Cucinelli and his team flipped that template to make Italy not the destination but the starting point. These clothes charted a journey from Solomeo in Umbria—the epicenter of Cucinelli’s culture—and continued farther south.In truth, of course, this journey was entirely imagined: Every apparent souvenir was handmade in Italy. What the story line allowed team Cucinelli to play with, however, were the contrasts between the classical structures of his tailoring and more conventional womenswear with the wilder, organically evolved output of his team of knitwear artisans. Exceptional bags and tops were fashioned in fluid sproutings of tobacco-toned macramé yarn in which were integrated metal-set chains of colored stone. There was a dress apparently made of macramé chain. Hand meshed knits were weblike and entirely irregular. These items were real trophies.Against them were placed sleeveless safari jackets, panamas, clubbishly striped suiting, gauze cotton animalia skirts, cable knits, some cool Monili-tassled suede moccasins, and shirting with metal-embroidered linen cuffs. These pieces were all entirely lovable, but it was the experiments in knitwear—Cucinelli’s founding metier—that were most worth writing home about.
19 September 2024
Both during Florence’s Pitti and Milan’s Fashion Week, Brunello Cucinelli maintains a much-appreciated habit of combining his collection presentations with masterful demonstrations of exquisite catering. Speaking at Pitti the morning after a belt-busting al fresco supper for several hundred, Cucinelli paid tribute to the cooks—who also feed his 1,000 strong workforce in Solomeo with regional Tuscan produce every day—then said of his hospitality: “it’s part of our culture. And I want us to always be imbued with this culture.”He added that to his mind, the purest expressions of Italian cuisine tend to have only three fundamental ingredients: “like spaghetti cacio e pepe, or with tomatoes and basil.” Turning to consider this collection he suggested two seasonal elements: “a little bitGreat Gatsby, a little bitMiami Vice.” These flavors added spring piquancy to a base that was 100 percentdenominazione d’origine Cucinelli.To most effectively seduce and satisfy, both fashion and food must stimulate the eye first. This collection triggered visual appetite through atypically summery hues characterized by team Cucinelli as papaya, grapefruit, and ginger. A long skirted two-buttoned suit in a macro, papaya-tinted prince of wales check epitomized Cucinelli’s seasonal smoothie. Piqué shirts in grapefruit and ginger-toned cotton herringbone blazers provided further pops. Against these tangy tones were served wearable counterpoints in woody tobacco shades that included a shawl-collar tuxedo jacket in suede lambskin and flowy silk-cashmere trench coats. Among the shoes were breezy huarache-style sandals. Capsules dedicated to tennis and golf expanded your conception of Cucinelli’s leisured protagonist.The looks, then, worked finely on the eye. But where Cucinelli’s clothing tends to provide most satisfaction is via touch, ideally through wearing but here through the wanting. Wistfully handling his silk-shot denim or new cashmere-linen yarn knits was as delicious an experience as that epic dinner.
14 June 2024
Brunello Cucinelli’s fondness for books is such that he has built a sprawling library, called La Biblioteca Universale, in his native Solomeo. For today’s presentation he indulged his proclivity for literature, replicating the retro atmosphere of a Caffè Letterario framing the fall collection. “It’s about communality, welcoming guests in a place where ideas can be shared,” said Carolina Cucinelli, the brand’s copresident and co–creative director. For the occasion, in lieu of show notes, a printed gazette was offered in the format of a newspaper (an endangered species); named The Solomeo Post, its front page boasted a quote from Edna St.Vincent Millay: “Beauty never slumbers.”Like a good book that keeps you captivated, Cucinelli’s soft-hued world is akin to an enveloping cocoon, affable and expensive. Luxury is a concept that Cucinelli handles with aplomb: “I believe in gentle luxury,” he pondered. “It’s creativity without excess, it’s honest geniality, it’s about presenting yourself well while being respectful of others. Ultimately it’s about finding beauty in simplicity.”The collection made the case for simplicity—up to a point. Masculine-inspired soft tailoring—lean cashmere city coats; fluid, liquid pantsuits; slender blazers in double cashmere—was given a counterintuitive luminous sheen, with surfaces laminated by threads of Lurex and embroidered sequins. Cucinelli described this take on the sartorial as “spontaneous formality,” with elegant shapes sustained by bonded textures yet kept supple and uncontrived. As an impactful counterpoint, a plethora of imaginative handcrafted knits featured a variety of elaborate textures; some pieces took around 60 hours each to be crafted. Argyle and Fair Isle motifs were reinterpreted through artisanal 3D techniques; fluffy textures were embellished with sequins, interspersed with feathers, or woven to achieve a light-as-lace webby effect. Cozy and extravagant, paired with svelte shorts or fluid high-waist trousers or else worn over elongated masculine poplin shirtdresses, they looked pretty spectacular. Carolina Cucinelli called them “emotional pieces.”
21 February 2024
If success is measured by the size of a brand’s booth at Pitti Uomo’s Padiglione Centrale, then Brunello Cucinelli ranks pretty high. Vast as a ballroom, always crowded to capacity, populated by the designer’s posse of collaborators-turned-models, it’s presided over by the entrepreneur himself, entirely at ease among a constant coming-and-going of clients and friends. Despite having built an empire with a market cap of around $6 billion, he stays grounded and approachable, ready to share his wisdom on what he calls “a balanced, gracious growth.”Consistency and distance from fleeting trends are part of Cucinelli’s ethos; his take on menswear conveys a gentle, light-handed revision of the classic Italian codes ofbel vestire, the national sport of being well turned out without looking too precious or exceedingly fastidious. He cringes at being defined as the standard bearer of the quiet luxury craze, which he actually calls silent luxury. “I don’t want to be silent when I dress up, who on earth wants to look silent?” he mused, sounding rather annoyed. “Everyone wants to look great every day of the year, possibly more handsome and worthy of attention than the day before.”Cucinelli’s flattering fitted suits aren’t for everyone though, as they’re rather expensive. That doesn’t undermine the brand’s appeal to younger customers, who buy a blazer as an investment piece and pair it with denim or more formal options. It’s an attitude that delights Cucinelli, who believes in standing for individuality in matters of taste.Slight, nuanced adjustments of lengths, fits, and details keep the brand’s look fresh and attractive. Cucinelli believes that elegance can be appealing to young audiences if treated with a modern approach, less extravagant and show-offy without being blandly classic and average. That the crowd of peacocks hanging around for photo-ops outside of Pitti’s Padiglione Centrale this season felt less exuberant and cocky than usual seemed to validate the designer’s POV.His fall offer was subtly rejuvenated—chic silk ties were worn under handcrafted rustic chiné knits tucked into corduroy trousers, casual beige trench coats were thrown over black velvet tuxedos, sporty piuminos were replaced by impeccable yet roomy city coats, and fluid pants exuded ease while remaining dapperly old-school. Cucinelli’s collection is aligned with the breezy take on masculine dressing that syncs up withl’air du temps.
12 January 2024
Brunello Cucinelli turned 70 in September. He threw a grand birthday bash in his hometown of Solomeo, where he gathered 600 guests who witnessed him blowing out the candles on a cake at least one square meter wide. “I wanted to celebrate all the people who have supported me in my journey,” he said at a preview in his Milanese headquarters. “I called it the Dinner of Gratitude.”Consistently sticking to clear-cut identity principles is what Cucinelli’s ethos is basically about. He hasn’t wavered from his observance of what he calls “aequilibrium,” a concept so pivotal to him that he named the spring collection after it. Balancing out contrasts to achieve a harmonious, ethical middle ground makes for the foundation of his company’s ways around business and for the timelessness of his style. Quiet luxury was there for him way before it became a recent trend, and he cringed when asked about it. “Fashion has always been about alternating waves of taste. When I started, Jil Sander and Giorgio Armani coexisted with Gianni Versace and Roberto Cavalli,” he said.The spring collection was an exercise in the “aequilibrium” Cucinelli preaches. Clean, essential masculine-inflected tailoring was warmed up by artisanal special pieces called Opere to highlight their elevated level of craftsmanship. Often handmade, they were the visual peak of an otherwise calm, elegant offering played out in the subtle natural tones that are a Cucinelli hallmark. A standout in the lineup was a pantsuit in a slightly raw jute fabric, entirely embroidered with tone-on-tone sequined florals and worn over a matching brassiere.Throughout the collection, silhouettes were kept neat and elongated, outlined with precise ease and lit up by metallic accents of liquid silver; denim pieces were also given a discreet glittery shine. Casual chez Cucinelli is always infused with a certain polish, and breezy informality is treated with a sartorial flair. Cucinelli, who definitely has a way with words, summed it up like this: “It’s tailoring with poetic license.”
20 September 2023
Asked how he feels about being called one of the standard bearers of the stealth-wealth-normcore ignited by HBO’sSuccession, Brunello Cucinelli sounded unfazed. “Fashion is like a pendulum, it goes back and forth every decade or so,” he said at his spring presentation. “Now the spotlight is on us, but we’ve always stayed put, out style has never budged. It’s fashion that has actually caught up with us.”Spring was another chapter in the Cucinelli playbook of ‘staying the same while always slightly adjusting to changes.’ It’s a mindset that has served him well. “I’m happy that finally the idea of being well dressed, with no logos and less showing off, isn’t anathema anymore.” Cue a collection that was Cucinelli-esque through and through: relaxed in attitude butsoignée, soft in proportions but neat in cut, with plenty of versatile, deceptively low-key tailoring.This season, high-end natural fabrics were slightly more textured; delicate, unobtrusive paisley prints were also introduced on light-cotton classic shirts. The palette of neutrals that is one of Cucinelli’s trademarks was further lighten up by gentle pastel tones; the same light feel was also perceptible on casual pieces, treated with equal sartorial ease.Cucinelli may be dismissive of being part of the ‘quiet luxury club,’ yet he could rightly be granted honorary membership. The proof is that he isn’t keen on the word ‘luxury.’ He prefers ‘quality.’
17 June 2023
TheMaglie Operaare a series of hand knitted one-of-a-kind jumpers, waistcoats, and slim fitted top-and-skirt combos of which Carolina Cucinelli, Brunello’s daughter and the label’s co-president and co-creative director, is rightly proud. “They’re almost couture pieces,” she said at today’s presentation. Made in alpaca, cashmere, and mohair and mixing different knitting techniques like crochet, embroidery, and hand-knit intarsia, they were the visual highlights of a slender, chic collection, loosely inspired by the clean, essential look of the 1990s.As always at Cucinelli, the tailored jacket was the pièce de résistance, playing on the assonance between the men’s and women’s lines. This season, there was a shift in the proportions of the shoulders (less oversized), in the length (slightly shorter), and in the cut of the torso (shapely and more feminine).“I’m afraid that the boyfriend look is over,” said Carolina with a laugh. The fit was kept soft and comfortable but closer to the body; the preciousness of the fabrications and the delicate palette of neutrals gave the blazers the luxurious yet relaxed quality so inherent to the Cucinelli look. They were paired with slender midi skirts or elegant straight-cut pants, or worn under loose-fitting featherlight overcoats.Brunello Cucinelli acknowledged the collection’s ’90s flavor. “I believe it resonates with today’s desire for simplicity, for a stripped down aesthetic, not only in fashion, but also in intellectual and spiritual values. We need simpler, more meaningful lives, less redundant, more in equilibrium, with more equity and tranquility. We need peace,” he concluded. “Political peace, inner peace—peace is ‘the new’ we need.”
22 February 2023
Presiding over the sprawling showroom in the central pavilion at Pitti’s Fortezza da Basso, Brunello Cucinelli seemed utterly at ease among the crowd of buyers, press people and various Pitti-peacocked types cramming the space. “I must say that I feel quite happy,” he said. Not surprising, as his company closed 2022 with sales revenue up by a hefty 30%.Cucinelli’s enthusiasm in walking you through the collection hasn’t dimmed over the years, despite his role today encompassing major responsibilities. “At heart what I love is the product,” he stated. Surrounded by his in-house models, a handsome posse of age-defying Cucinelli clones, he was clearly delighted at pointing out the seemingly inconspicuous details that make the fall collection different just so from the previous one, while keeping it unmistakably in Cucinelli-esque territory.Plus ça change.This season, the fit of suits, knitwear and outerwear was a tad softer than usual; trousers were slightly roomier, cropped in the new ankle-grazing length he calledalla Milanese; blazers were just a whisper longer, but “always marking the waistline, to enhance the shape of the shoulders and the silhouette,” he said. Masculine vanity has guilt-free pride of place in Cucinelli’s universe. “Who says that men don’t care about their looks?” he asked in disbelief. “Nonsense.”The soft tailored suit is definitely the versatilepièce de résistanceof Cucinelli’s ethos, where meticulous mismatched styling rules. Blazers and trousers can be combined and reshuffled at will, paired with pieces from previous seasons or with new ones. An elegant pinstriped blazer was given new life worn with a pair of denims, while a casual-looking double breasted jacket in dove-grey ribbed cotton-cashmere (“so soft you could play tennis in it,” he said) was upgraded into the chic version of itself, worn with a crisp shirt, a tie, a pair of slim Prince of Wales trousers and formal brogues. The old and the new coexist in harmony in Cucinelli’s wardrobes: “Repair, re-use, keep for life what’s beautiful and made with ethical respect: that’s what’s important today,” he concluded. “Who wants to throw things away irresponsibly or to buy something not ethically produced? You’d feel awfully uncomfortable doing that.”
13 January 2023
“She’s an explorer,” said Carolina Cucinelli, the brand’s co-creative director, at a preview, referring to the attitude she and her team wanted the spring collection to be infused with. More than a literal translation of the traveling theme, it was about “exploring” a softening of the Cucinelli codes, adding a touch of fluidity, sensuality and more spontaneous styling combinations.The Cucinelli ethos is all about equilibrium and balance, and this new ‘exploration’ was played out subtly. The softly casual masculine suit which is the foundation of the brand’s style was rendered in even more malleable versions, and given decorative treatment with lush embroideries, appliqués and abundant sequined and lamé surfaces.On this note, a loose, slouchy pajama set was offered in luscious satin in a buttery hue, and came generously embroidered with abstract crystal florals, while a cream-colored midriff-baring cropped top with matching tight-fitted pencil skirt was hand-knitted in a sequined yarn and worn under a softly tailored linen blazer. “High-end craftsmanship is one of our main focuses, and we support it every way we can; we’ve even founded a school to keep the savoir faire alive and taught to a young generation of artisans,” said Carolina. She pointed out a series of tops, jumpers and tunics, intricately crocheted or hand knitted in a variety of open-work patterns; she called them “couture-like knits, as they’re kind of unique pieces, collectible like artworks.” They come with a hefty price tag, but she was adamant that “we aren’t keen on compromising on quality.”Overlooking the showroom scene, Brunello Cucinelli was clearly proud of his daughters’ involvement in the company (his other daughter, Camilla, works within the women’s design studio). Asked about how and if his role has changed now that the baton is in younger hands, he demurred: “I don’t come from the financial world, I come ‘from the product,’ as they say, I love being involved in creating the collections and the team work,” he offered. Everything has still to pass muster with his rigorous standard-checking. “I am the custodian of the Cucinelli style, and now I can truly enjoy the role of creative director, as the company is structured on strong pillars,” he continued. “The brand has to evolve according to the times, but it has to remain rooted in its principles. We have to stay true to ourselves.” It sounded like he’s still very much at the company’s helm—no matter the teamwork.
21 September 2022
As Tom Stubbs observed in hisexcellent Italy-centric Pitti Uomopreview piece for Runway, Brunello Cucinelli is an in-apparel epitome of the farm-to-table philosophy that makes this country’s produce stand alone. And like all true Italian bottegas, Cucinelli is an independent, family-run affair. However, while still very much in charge, its patriarch is slowly devolving operational power to the next generation.That is why, after a bracing espresso with the big boss, Runway ran through the detail of these pieces with Alessio Piastrelli, Cucinelli’s borderline annoyingly handsome son-in-law and husband of Carolina Cucinelli. “You’re not going to find a lot of patterns this season,” he warned. “But you will see a lot of different nuances in color and textures.”Piastrelli continued by revealing that in a typical Cucinelli menswear collection, the team follows a golden ratio of 3:20—or around 15 per cent—when it comes to imposing color against neutral. This season, he said, about 30 percent of the garments came in what the team counted as colors; a soft red he called ‘ginger,’ a smoked-salmon adjacent orange, a sunflower yellow, an extremely muted olive green (radical for Cucinelli, who is suspicious of the color in menswear) and blues. Perhaps most striking was the no-color all black section, which, tuxedos apart, is an extremely rare spot in this particular casa’s menswear output.“We really believe in the suit,” said Piastrelli, and the tailored two-piece was indeed well represented. However, as well as being shown in traditional top-to-toe form—with a notably fuller and longer pant this season—Cucinelli’s tailoring was also integrated with other dialects in masculine dress. Around 20 percent of the pants featured cargo style buttoned patch pockets, and sometimes button down shirting was eschewed for knit rugby shirts or colored T-shirts. Shoes included highly polished moccasins but also color-blocked skate-style sneakers. A black leather biker, faintly washed ultrasoft denim trucker or drop dead gorgeous khaki safari in perforated suede were presented as occasional punctuation marks alongside the soft shouldered tailoring. Cucinelli’s all-Italian, hand-cultivated ingredients remain consistently and enduringly of the highest quality. Every season, however, he and his family of menswear chefs subtly reconfigure the recipes in their classical menswear menu to ensure its flavor never grows stale.
18 June 2022
To introduce the Fall presentation, Brunello Cucinelli momentarily ceded the stage to his two blue-eyed, blonde daughters, Camilla and Carolina, both of whom work with him on the development of the collections. Even if he stayed in the background, his influence was palpable in the way his daughters have embraced the ethos and gusto he has established for his company.The young Cucinellis are fond of craft and the handmade (Carolina has even founded a circle of knitters making crocheted toys for charity): they pivoted the collection around a wide offer of knitwear, often proposed as a substitute for more conventional outerwear. They experimented with elaborate mixed-media techniques to achieve surprisingly feather-light, open-work textures, delicately inlaid with luminous beads or sequins. They called them “couture knits.”Inspired by Nordic geometries in signature natural tones, chunky oversized cardis or zippered cocoons in furry cashmere or soft alpaca ran counter to loose-fitting double-breasted pantsuits in fluid satin or sequined silk. “We wanted to play on the contrast between something rustic and more feminine, seductive propositions, connecting daywear and eveningwear,” explained the sisters, who are partial to the desire of dressing up which the pandemic has apparently triggered. “People now want tovestirsi bene,” they said.To that end, since furs are now a no-no, they elevated knitted pieces, shearlings and even piuminos to a luxurious feel, using the intricate techniques of traditional furriers, as in a hooded shearling waistcoat lasered to an incredibly fluffy fur effect and then scattered with silvery sequins. It was one of the collection’s many standout options, which Brunello Cucinelli said were the fast-selling ones. “People now covet special pieces, investment pieces,” he said. “They also want something tactile; there’s a love for the handmade, for something comforting but beautiful. The sense of touch, connection, physicality is now so important.” It’s an attitude signaling that the pandemic is finally behind us, perhaps. Cucinelli said that if the situation improves as he expects, he’ll shut down the vaccination hub he has built on the Solomeo premises. He’ll do it on the first day of Spring. “Then we’ll celebrate with a good match of football, I can’t wait,” he joked. There’s nothing more physical than that.
23 February 2022
Brunello Cucinelli is a natural born optimist; he always sees the glass half full. Even the pandemic hasn’t curbed his positive disposition, and that’s evidently paying off. His company has weathered the last two years’ hardships well, recently posting net revenues up 30.9% compared to 2020. No wonder he was upbeat at a preview in his Milanese showroom.“Last year was a very special one for us on many levels,” he said. “First of all, we haven’t furloughed anyone, of which I’m very proud, and we haven’t canceled or stopped any investment.” It seems that the difficulties energized him rather than slowed him down. His cultural sustainability pledge, which promotes the principles of humanism throughout his company’s practices, was capped in December by the launch of a grand project: the construction of a Universal Library in Solomeo, which was inspired by no less than the Great Library of Alexandria, founded by Ptolemy I Soter around 283 BC. No shortage of ambition chez Cucinelli.But as proud as he is of his entrepreneurial achievements, Cucinelli lights up when talking style. His eye for details is meticulous, and overseeing the styling of a collection is a creative pleasures he cherishes. “We have perfected ourgusto,”he said, meaning that the Cucinelli look is recognizable around the world. He recently made clear that he wants his company to be called ;Casa di Moda,as he thinks it has earned the rights to be considered a full-fledged fashion house. The consistency of its repertoire is actually there to prove it, carried out through well considered seasonal adjustments that update its easy-formality, with no diluting of its fundamentals.\This was apparent in the fall men’s collection, which looked cohesive yet versatile enough to appeal to young people. That’s an audience which Cucinelli knows well, having two daughters involved in the company’s management. “The desire of dressing well is stronger than ever today, even for new generations,” he said. “Being beautifully turned out is a pleasure and I definitely encourage that. Elegance isn’t apasséconcept at all.”To that end, he focused on soft tailoring even more that usual, loosening proportions and fits so as to give them a dynamic spin, making precious fabrics as light as possible to enhance ease and comfort, and nipping-and-tucking here and there without detracting from his signature casually dapper allure.
Among the standouts were tailored pantsuits in featherlight, soft-to-the-touch corduroy, with blazers slightly leaner and pants cut comfortably and just a tad short. Presented in the neutral palette Cucinelli favors, energized by occasional flashes of brighter hues, they looked smart worn with wispy cashmere turtlenecks or denim button-down shirts and formal ties.“In our company, 52% of the production is made by hand,” Cucinelli said, explaining that one of the many projects he’s working on is the expansion of the artisanal schools he launched in 2013. CalledScuole di Artigianato Contemporaneo(Schools for Contemporary Craftsmanship), not only do they provide the company’s production chain with the artisans that keep Made in Italy afloat, they also give a new generation of young technicians, craftsmen, and tailors the business acumen necessary to develop their own enterprises. Who knows? Maybe one day they could become new Cucinellis. “I started my career with just a modicum of money and lots of willpower,” he said. “In life, first you learn, then you do, and then you pass the baton of your experience. You teach. At this stage of my life, I’m enjoying this immensely.”
15 January 2022
“Sexy. Beautiful quality. Exclusively produced. Garments that you wouldneverthink of throwing away.” This was Brunello Cucinelli’s take on the collection he presented on this bustling first day back at a Milan Fashion Week that feels tangibly revived, alive again. Or as the Camera Della Moda president, Carlo Capasa, noted as he passed by, around 80% of events here are happening live (as well as being streamed, of course) and he’s hearing that there has been a 10,000-room upturn in hotel bookings across the city. At least, I think that was the number: Masks do muffle dialogue.Cucinelli is one of the titan tentpole brands elevating the canopy of quality in this capital of Italian fashion: Today his guests seemed as hungry to clap their eyes upon his garments as they were to reacquaint themselves with his tremendous Tuscan buffet. So it was timely that Cucinelli interjected a stronger sportswear element than we have seen here before, while keeping his fabrication values strictly Solomeo. A bomber and basketball shorts were presented in perforated suede over a founding-year logo hoody, while a high-waisted puffer topped a slim-fitting handwoven skirt embroidered with sequins. Both looks were crowned, surely ironically, with grosgrain sweatbands. Another gently sports-sourced influence was argyle, originally a Scottish knitwear obsession, which was ingeniously translated into feather-trimmed cashmere sweaters or a wonderful hand-fashioned raffia cardigan.Against this elevated activewear was balanced, moderated animalia, notably in a long cotton silk organza shirtdress with shades of white tiger stripe. There was typically forgiving tailoring, in linen or paillette-coated. Near-unwashed, close-to-indigo denim looked new here, as did the handy neck-pouches that were by-no-means-coincidentally perfect for stashing the new sunglasses line Cucinelli launched in partnership with Oliver Peoples yesterday. Particularly fun was the footwear, especially the luxe perforated sports socks, chunky-soled boat shoes, and a properly chic flat-toed, double-strapped shearling mule.
22 September 2021
As Alessio Piastrelli, member of the Brunello Cucinelli menswear team and son-in-law of the founder, conducted the tour of this new menswear collection it became rapidly evident that the core of Planet Cucinelli remains the suit. Certainly, when your suits are this fine, there isn’t much reason for a radical shift. Here there were sumptuous double-breasted in navy silk/linen (worn against pale yellow) or taupe (worn against washed red), cut slightly longer at the skirt and paired with the tapered, pleated, moisturized-ankle flashing pants that work so well in the sultry weather Milan was today enjoying. There was an interestingly counter-intuitive lean into tie-wearing (you won’t see that much elsewhere this season beyond the purists at Pitti), that suggested BC’s instinct is to return to the consolations of classicism, the lore of sprezzatura, and the re-establishment of elegance.If you are a suit-wearer, Cucinelli is indeed nirvana. And even for those who are suit-curious but not quite willing to commit, here there was a plethora of options including patch-pocketed deconstructed linen jackets worn over subtly-darted washed gray jeans, or three-button single-breasted jackets worn over washed combats. As Cucinelli himself observed in our very interesting post-tour chat: “There is this idea that we need to go back to feeling well-dressed after spending a year-and-a-half closed, getting dressed just from the waist up for Zoom.”Now, I am an enthusiastic subscriber to the Cucinelli philosophy of slow fashion, made sustainably and designed also to sustain the lives of those artisans who craft it in order to enhance the lives of the Cucinelli customer. However, I am also not a suit guy: unlike the trim, barbered, and universally dashing denizens of Cucinelli-ville, aka Solomeo, when wearing a suit I look like someone who is vainly hoping to make a last-gasp positive impression in court before receiving his sentence. This is why I was so interested in the suite of pieces presented as “travel-wear,” that were in fact sports separates crafted in cashmere and cotton rib knit. They were lovely. Half-obscured by the tailored statement jackets were sumptuous examples of Cucinelli’s first field of expertise, the impeccably dyed cashmere sweater.
BC himself was wearing a fine new riff on his long-established white sneaker—this one with a semi-formal welt—and there were some surgically precise new garment-dyed bombers as well as a quintessentially tech-bro suede padded gilet you’d sell a stake in your startup for.This is an aside, but in London and Milan each season, Cucinelli hosts a sample sale, to which last month I scampered. The intent was not to buy for me, but for a 15-year-old boy who is just starting to enjoy expressing himself through clothing. After a quick video call we settled on some ornamentally seamed gray jersey track pants, a navy knit polo, and an olive-treated nylon jacket with hood and gray jersey ribbing at the waist. Since taking possession of these garments he has started folding, hanging and generally caring for his clothes for the first time, and is taking much more pride in his appearance than his previous diet of bootleg Off-White and Uniqlo ever inspired. The point is that suits are beaut, but they do not define the parameters of masculine elegance: here in this Brunello Cucinelli collection that elegance, although unsung, was equally as evident in non-sartorial pieces as it was in the tailored.
19 June 2021
“Last time I wore a tie was one year ago, on February 24 during Milan Fashion Week, at the press presentation in our headquarters,” Brunello Cucinelli said on a phone call from Solomeo. A year has passed—and what a year it’s been. “Yesterday, for the first time, I put on a tie again to make the video presentation that will go live with our fall collection,” he continued. “There’s a new energy around, definitely. We’re not out of it yet, but the sentiment is positive. There’s a strong desire to express creativity, to make new projects for the future. We’re ready to thrive again.”Cucinelli is a force of nature, no doubt. And nature and respect for the environment are always the starting point, both ethical and aesthetic, behind the work of his young design team. The fall offering, presented via a virtual walkthrough, was so rich in natural noble fibers—double cashmeres, soft alpacas, and mohairs as inconspicuous as a whisper—that it induced in this reviewer a profound sense of frustration for being deprived of the pleasure of touching and feeling it all firsthand.Knitwear was the collection’s main focus. Great oversized sweats were hand-crocheted in a plethora of iterations, and short and long piuminos were offered in a flat-knit, featherweight cashmere. Roomy city coats in soft, neutral shades of double-faced cashmere looked spontaneous and informal, yet retained the appropriate well-put-together quality so dear to Cucinelli.The designer and entrepreneur reports that he’s hearing positive feedback on the recovery of spending habits in China, Korea, Russia, and Japan. America, he added, “is showing promising signs of a new energy.” The collection embraces this sense of renewal. “It’s not a blind sense of hope; it’s constructive hope,” Cucinelli said. “People want to look well, not pretentious or—God forbid!—showy. Just at ease with themselves and good-looking, elegant. They can’t wait to put their ties and well-cut suits back on.”
24 February 2021
Pitti Uomo’s opening this season was a rather different affair than usual; it was streamed today through the digital platform Pitti Connect, with a special event taking place at Brunello Cucinelli’s headquarters in the medieval Umbrian village of Solomeo, Italy. “I’d like to show my full support to the Italian fashion system and send a message of hope and swift recovery for the future,” he said during a Zoom preview.In an office overlooking the factory’s garden lush with green, a replica of the sprawling booth Cucinelli usually occupies at Firenze’s Fortezza da Basso, Pitti Uomo’s historical location, was staged. Called Casa Cucinelli, it was populated by the entrepreneur’s posse of employees turned models—“the best possible ambassadors for my brand,” he calls them.They all looked quite dapper in the Cucinelli way, wearing relaxed, casual combinations of suits, sweaters, and outerwear in every possible nuance of natural tones. The label’s strength lies in a sort of constant fine-tuning of its well-known tropes; for fall, they were updated just so from archival best-ofs. However, Cucinelli cringed at codifying them as evergreen. He believes that, although men are much more conservative than women when it comes to trends, the desire for newness will surely prevail in the near future, as it’ll signal a renewed appreciation for social interaction and physical proximity.Perhaps it’ll also flag a recovered unguilty pleasure for a bit of peacocking, the much-missed activity usually associated with Pitti Uomo’s hyper-fashionable street style. Pointing to the soft-tailored blazer in fine camel cashmere he was wearing, he said: “See? This season the waist is slightly more fitted. It does look sexy, does it not?”The concept of relaxed elegance is intrinsic to Cucinelli’s style, so the concern for comfort which so preoccupies other designers was only tangentially addressed in the collection. The domesticity of Zoom calls has brought about a sort of unfortunate indulgence in sloppy self-representation (his words), which is absolute anathema to him. He did acknowledge that this season’s luxurious alpaca sweaters and chunky chine cashmere knits were proposed in a half-size-bigger version than usual—but that is it. Coats and peacoats were kept slim and close to the body; piuminos in knitted cashmere were padded just slightly, so as not to look too bulging or puffed up when worn over a chic velvet tuxedo, achieving the requiredbella figura.
Cucinelli’s outlook is firmly optimistic; he believes that we will be recovering entirely, definitely sooner than later. “The vaccine is a turning point,” he said. “My 99-year-old father said to me that we’re experiencing today the same sort of craving for release people experienced after World War II,” he went on, and that in the end it’ll overcome the pain we have suffered “in our bodies and souls” during this long year of lockdowns. Ever the philosopher, Cucinelli was quick to substantiate his assumptions with quotes from his favorite authors: “St. Augustine said that pain is the greatest master. We’ve been scared and we’re still frightened; we’ve seen death all around us. That has changed us profoundly. We’ve felt lonely and forlorn. St. Benedict said that ‘luminous solitude’ is the source of great thinking—which is certainly true. But now we all really need to bring back the joy and the ease of living.” Asked what he missed most during his quarantine, he promptly answered: “lighthearted laughter, joking with friends—and playing a good football match.”
12 January 2021
B.C.stands for Brunello Cucinelli. It is also the name of an ongoing seasonal “philosophy” campaign that sees acronym-fitting phrases printed on Cucinelli’s menswear. Last season it was “Be Courageous,” and during this Zoom interview with Cucinelli and his team in their beautiful H.Q. in Solomeo, Umbria, next spring’s phrase—printed on T-shirts with Steve Jobs-y extra-wide rib collars designed to be worn under tailored jackets, or with discretely luxurious track separates—was revealed as “Be Conscious.”B.C. is very conscious indeed of the challenges represented by the global pandemic, but during this call—which he’d scheduled immediately before a call with an Italian government minister—he revealed himself to be fundamentally optimistic, business-wise. “At the moment we are dedicating our time to planning 2021, 22, and 23. This situation, I think, will pass. This is temporary. And it is not a structural change, as we saw in 2008. Now for certain industries it is a very difficult time, for sure, but…we are the same company we were in February. We have not let anybody go, we have paid everybody’s salary, and we have not offered discounts to anyone.”That last point—the discounts—was a reference to the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, after which shell-shocked luxury retailers were panicked into offering widespread discounts to clear merchandise that spooked customers were not buying. This worked in the short-term, but created a problem that was long-term: Customers expected luxury to be available on the cheap.This year’s crisis has created a similar surplus of unsold goods, which for B.C. represents stock worth $30 million (at retail). Rather than give it away at a price that damages the value of his brand, he is giving it all away, for nothing, in a manner that will sustain that value. The designer announced back in July that the surplus is to be distributed free of charge to groups and organizations that have a need and are doing good works. Today Cucinelli, who is normally pretty unflappable, could not quite Be Casual as he mentioned Sharon Stone had called the other day to learn more about the donation program. Through the Zoom, were those Blushing Cheeks?Like Sharon, I wondered how that program works. “It’s very simple,” the designer said.
“In any part of the world, if you have a friend, for example, who has a small organization that is in need, I will send them a size run that will be appropriate to where you are; so, lighter if you are in Tokyo, heavier if you are in Vancouver. The gifts come in the same packaging in which they leave the factory. The idea is that the person who proposes the recipient acts as the guarantor. I want this to be a project of many small, curated donations, an intimate project.”It’s clever: The turning of the crisis of unsold stock into an opportunity of virtuous seeding, through which a global network of new, potential B.C. wearers are introduced to his clothes while the aura of all is blamelessly polished.That minister was about to get Zooming, so Cucinelli Bade Ciao. A senior member of his design team and three models came onscreen to show the spring 2021 collection that recipients of the company’s philanthropy might well be interested in. Suiting was “spezzato”—broken down into single elements mixed with French-seam denim and interjected with stripes. There were, in truth, no radical departures from the B.C. philosophy of exquisitely fabricated, conservatively expressive, Master of the Universe wear. There was an interesting section of informal outerwear fabricated in a nylon whose origin product was sugar cane, not the usual petrochemicals. It was all endlessly mix-and-matchable: Once you’ve been exposed to a B.C. gateway garment, you can be lost forever in the pleasurable urge to acquire more. Before he’d signed off, Cucinelli had concluded: “What we need to maintain is humility, courage, creativity—and we have to be serious.” B.C. seems sure of the outcome, even as it remains TBC.
16 October 2020
A conversation with Brunello Cucinelli is more often than not filled with a substantial number of philosophical observations and literary quotes, like a masterclass in progressive entrepreneurship. The pandemic has only heightened his humanistic beliefs. Speaking during a showroom appointment, he reasoned, “Thomas More said in a prayer: ‘Please, help me, God, to change what can be changed, and to accept what cannot be changed.’ We’ve been learning through pain to live in close proximity with a disastrous disease. St. Augustine referred to suffering as our ‘spiritual master.’ This moment of pain has hopefully opened our hearts to kindness and understanding, and to respecting people in need.” Cucinelli’s optimism is unwavering. If only his beliefs were shared by the many apathetic political leaders oblivious to humanity, instead steering the world towards conflict and hate.Cucinelli’s philosophically pragmatic approach has also paid off from a business standpoint: His company has weathered the pandemic quite smoothly, and he hasn’t furloughed any of his employees. Indeed, he put in place two doctors in residence at his Solomeo, Italy, headquarters at the beginning of the crisis. After months of lockdown, production has resumed swiftly; the spring collection was delivered on time.Called Pure Spirit, the new offerings convey an airy feel of lightness—think relaxed masculine pantsuits in natural linen, just discreetly dusted with a luminous golden sheen; long-tiered sundresses in smooth white poplin worn with soft unlined blazers; and short-suits in crushed linen, slightly utilitarian and sporty but rather elegant in the décontracté Cucinelli way. Contrasting the overall feel of calm fluidity, rustic handmade touches added visual impact, as in a thick leaf-patterned cardigan knitted in black cotton and natural raffia with a dense, tactile appeal. Thin-strapped tops in scallop-lasered nappa worn with high-waist pants in coarse linen or jute added a soupçon of sensuality.Ever committed to sustainable practices, Cucinelli recently launched a charity project: “It’s the reuse of the new,” he explained: €30 million worth of surplus merchandise, generated by the temporary pandemic-induced shutdown of Cucinelli flagships around the world, will be donated to charities through the network of the company’s partners.
Always prompt to drive his point home with erudition, Cucinelli said, “As Western and Eastern philosophies have taught us, absolute evil doesn’t exist, and neither does absolute goodness. There’s always a little goodness in evil, and a little evil in goodness: They’re both our teachers. Profit and donations have to go hand in hand. This is the principle of the Honorable Merchant’s behavior. The right price and the right growth. Giving back is a duty.” Then he added: “Why don’t you read an obscure and forgotten but truly inspiring book, written in the 15th century by the Italian economist Benedetto Cotrugli, calledThe Book of the Art of Trade? It’s about ethical trade practices. It’d be a beneficial read for many of today’s businessmen and CEOs.”
23 September 2020
“Positive bourgeois” was how Brunello Cucinelli’s womenswear design director characterized the vibe of this typically lustrous yet laid-back Cucinelli collection. She said they had focused on the literal root ofeleganceas a derivative of the Latineligere: to choose. The result of choosing fabrics and materials cut and crafted into styles offering versatility and longevity resulted in a positive discrimination for forever pieces—selecting less, but better.The styling here is sometimes particular, and today the flavor was mid-’90s Lindbergh, yet where (for example) a strong-shouldered, wide-lapel, gray tailored jacket whose skirt was tucked into a high-waist, pleated, bronze-laminated skirt seemed very specific to the presentation, it was easy to imagine both pieces living a long and happy life commuting between the wardrobe and the street.There was a contrast between craft, most evident in a multi-yarned “opera” tank top skeined with sequins that was the result of 22 hours of handwork, and the semi-industrial metallic finish on some of the leathers and viscose. The finely done tailoring featured old-school menswear checks that were translated into a cashmere-lined, mohair-shelled, tufted shawl coat that was an outstandingly attractive forever piece and something you’d sob over if the moths got to it. Although there were occasional punctuation marks of color in the accessories and some of the knits, the overall palette was of the most versatile: grays, beiges, and black. Even the more elaborate pieces, such as a bomber shelled in tiered strips of organza meant to echo layers of bark on a tree, were delivered in considered, quiet shades of black and bronze. They say that you get what you pay for: Elect to choose a garment from Brunello Cucinelli and the considerable size of your initial outlay will be matched by the duration and pleasure derived from the result.
19 February 2020
Brunello Cucinelli was an early adopter of sustainable practices: From sourcing to production to the company’s environmentally-friendly headquarters in Solomeo, his lifestyle and work ethic have been consistently humanistic. “A fair, healthy, gracious growth” is his mantra—and the company’s balance sheets have been healthy and gracious for quite some time. No surprise, then, that he comes well prepared to the sustainability conversation: “There’s no profit without ethics. Now they’re all bragging about this concept,” he said. It’s nothing new to him.Cucinelli’s style follows the same principles of fitting into the modern world while respecting (and sustaining) a sense of natural ease, an appreciation for natural high-quality materials and for the human touch of craft. The Fall collection was proof of the attitude of subtle yet confident evolution that drives Cucinelli’s m.o.—as well as it apparently drives conspicuous sales. The classic soft-tailored, formal-informal blazers were kept nipped-waisted and round-shouldered, but were updated just so, slightly longer than usual and paired with loose-fit trousers. The piumini were given a soft finish and cut straight and comfortable in multiple materials, while urban wardrobe staples like carcoats and peacoats were cut with a slightly easier fit for updated comfort.Cucinelli’s style is made for longevity. “I still wear my beloved cashmere coat from a 1998 collection and another one from 2002”, he said. “Today it’s all about the art of keeping and protecting what we cherish. It’s about repairing, mending and recovering, of reusing what’s old, giving new life to the existing.” At Solomeo there’s a department, established from the beginning, where clients can send their old, well worn Cucinelli coats, shoes and knits to be washed or mended or resuscitated from fashion oblivion. “In our company we do not like disposable,” he said. “Waste does not agree with us.”
11 January 2020
They came piped with leather at the collar and a line of the house’s signature Monili beaded sparkle beneath, it’s true. And they were presented in five washed-out colors, best in berry, especially when worn against the house-prescribed Lurex-flecked cashmere rib-knit leg warmer. But these were also most definitely the most basic, rustic piece of footwear: rubber boots. Brunello Cucinelli wellies? What was afoot?Tuscany’s philosophical fashion titan was offering these poshest of galoshes as an expression of the back-to-nature element that less overtly ran throughout this collection. Wide-weave mohair sweaters with the quietest glint of internal sequin, roughly slubbed linen jackets and pants juddered with purposefully wonky stripe, and the house’s trademark Opera knits—handmade wearable collages of hemp, cotton, and linen that take at least 28 hours to create—were all presented in natural tones. Like the roughened fringing on a raffia hat here, they bore the mark of their making; you could see the impression of the hands that had crafted them.But it was not all rustic fleck. Pared-down dusters, monochrome layered pailette-scattered pleated skirts, sleek leather short-suits, rich berry-toned linen suits, and irregularly striped marinière sweaters were all part of a gently referential dance between ’90s grunge and minimalism (very softly whispered) and the tailoring prowess of the house. “I think that tastes are becoming more streamlined and simple—still chic and luxurious—but more attuned to volumes and shapes rather than elaborate details as they have been in the last four or five years,” said Cucinelli. He expanded on this statement by citing Jil Sander, Yohji Yamamoto, and Giorgio Armani as the prime examples of this design philosophy he had followed in the ’80s and ’90s.One thing that’s certain is the notion of buying a single precious garment (or boot) that will serve you for life, rather than opting for a semi-precious fancy that will be worn for a season, is the direction in which consumers are—and should—be shifting. Much in this collection, those Opera knits especially, were evidence that Brunello Cucinelli is a prime destination for the enlightened shopper.
18 September 2019
From a soft-furnished throne at the center of his bustling Pitti pavilion, Brunello Cucinelli surveyed the detachment of chisel-jawed and finely coiffed young gentlemen arrayed in this season’s expressions of the garments that have helped him build his kingdom. Cucinelli is a man to whom proportions in menswear are as important as proportion in architecture was to Palladio.This season he gently refined his harmonic formula to allow for a slightly broadened jacket shape, a wider lapel, and a short-pleated pant. That rubric, while fixed, allowed for infinite combinations of mix and match. One combination saw a delicately ripped jean worn below a hand-softened T-shirt under a gray linen striped blazer, all atop a suede tasseled loafer. Another saw a mottled leather derby under a pair of tailored, superlight wool pants under a shirt and tie under a plain-colored jacket sculpted with Bernini precision. Cucinelli is passionate about tailoring—“I prefer them all to wear a jacket”—and says he sees a resurgence in interest in it among his younger clients. But he is wise enough not to put that passion over pragmatism.Tucked in the corner of the pavilion was a garment hitherto unseen here: a white-panted, tricolor-jacketed tracksuit. Alongside it was a bomber-jacket suit with cuffed pants cut in red-striped blue superfine wool. The handsomely stained wooden shelf units included some gorgeously colored plays on the German Army sneaker and even some knit running shoes decorated with the in-Latin date of this company’s foundation. “It is less about the jogging world,” clarified Cucinelli, “but yes, there is some leisure—ennobled leisure.”
13 June 2019
“Before you leave,” said Brunello Cucinelli, “you really should try some rigatoni.” The sprawling buffet of regional specialities—culturally and regionally specific masterpieces of Italian cuisine, not ersatz foreign appropriations à la Chicago-style pizza or vodka sauce—that Cucinelli lays on at this presentation is almost as delicious as his cashmere is lustrous. His clothes are also profoundly localized: every stitch and seam steeped in the arcadian corporate culture he has built in Solomeo, Italy. Yet that's not to say Cucinelli doesn’t have his own more widely foraged references. “When I was young, Jil Sander was really my reference. And Yohji Yamamoto, Giorgio Armani . . . I have followed their steps.”It makes sense that a man so widely read in philosophy would be as receptive to the didactic potential of the greats in his own metier, who, like Cucinelli, are essentially concerned with defining a harmonic language in clothing. In this collection, Cucinelli applied some renovations to his own womenswear architecture, starting with the foundations. For the first time in memory, his models wore heels—chisel-toe boots, mostly—rather than menswear-sourced flats. He also kept his palette mostly confined to a broad monochrome of white to beige and black, with the only exceptions in chestnut corduroy, leathers, and the knit relief in 20-artisan-hour handmade sweaters. He said: “I think that after three or four years with a lot of pattern and color, there is a desire to go back to solids. . . . We all need harmony as human beings, and this harmony, I think, is also mirrored in clothing.” Ever-accented by his Monili-chain, sparkle-beaded, signature motif, this was a collection of long-cooked, lightly tweaked, richly flavored, slow womenswear that hailed unmistakably from the CucinelliDenominazione d’Origine Protetta.
21 February 2019
Brunello Cucinelli’s tried-and-tested fashion recipe continues to yield results; the company, which is publicly listed, posted an 8.1 percent increase of preliminary revenues in 2018. The past year was definitely golden for the Italian entrepreneur, who also feted in lavish manner the label’s 40th anniversary. So there’s no need to change the winning formula; the Fall collection was actually a riff on familiar style territory. Called Gentleman at Ease, it was a Cucinelli-esque ode to the elegance of comfort.“I do not believe that men today aren’t keen on spending on fashion,” he said, presenting a lineup of his signature tailored suits, styled with relaxed flair and worn with aplomb by his dapper, well groomed posse of young employees. “Instagram’s exposure makes us all much more aware of our appearance.” Ditto the proposal of a neat wardrobe which looked rather photogenic and deceitfully easy, when actually it was meticulously disciplined, down to the last detail. Cucinelli is definitely the detail-obsessed type; to receive his seal of approval, everything must be perfectly in balance. The color of the silk pocket square, perfectly folded and tucked in the pocket of his fitted corduroy blazer, had to be just so; the stripes of the crisp poplin shirts must be exactly the right width. The cashmere turtlenecks, which this season were worn as a leitmotif under the slightly more generously proportioned jackets, passed muster only when their hues obliged to his favorite color chart of neutrals.Cucinelli, as fond as he is of celebrating traditions, usually doesn’t indulge in vintage references; yet this collection had a distinctive retro flavor, expressed in a few ’50s-inspired style accents. Marlon Brando was assigned the starring role as the collection’s style influencer, with his generously cut, enveloping coats and comfortable suits worn with nonchalance over tees or jumpers tucked into wide-leg pants. These retro-tinged ingredients were translated into a general sense of debonair comfort permeating the lineup, where the fit of blazers and trousers had slightly looser proportions than usual. Corduroy velvet was one of the fabrics of choice, together with moleskin, as in a three-piece tailored suit in a deep shade of burgundy which looked utterly gentlemanly, yet cool enough to appeal to a new breed of young Instagrammable gentlemen-at-ease.
13 January 2019
Brunello Cucinelli was in an upbeat mood at his Spring presentation today, and who can blame him? His company just celebrated its 40th anniversary with a grand event held in his native medieval village of Solomeo; in front of an audience of 500 international guests, he unveiled the completion of his lifelong project. He’d restored not only the town’s centuries-old historical sites but also the surroundings, formerly a desolate landscape of anonymous industrial settlements, now transformed into a green oasis of vineyards and orchards.Cucinelli’s love for his Italian countryside roots was evident in the Spring collection. Titled Rustic Charm, it was an ode to natural ease and comfortable elegance—the label’s strongest style features. The lineup was given a cohesive look through the use of natural fibers like linen, hemp, silk, and cotton, and a color palette of earth tones, inspired by the soft hues of Italy’s Umbrian scenery. The unfussy silhouette was a balanced blend of masculine and feminine ingredients, another one of Cucinelli’s staples. The relaxed feel of soft-tailored, double-breasted blazers in houndstooth linen worn with high-waisted, paper-bag belted pants or with long ruched skirts was discreetly peppered by a glitzy dust of micro paillettes, glimmering also on the lapels of an elongated black tuxedo jacket or on hand-woven crocheted tops.No matter how laid-back and serene the label’s style appears, there’s always a luxurious edge to it. The entrepreneur has his own rather clear ideas about the concept: “I think that the word ‘luxury’ today has lost its sense, though,” he rhapsodized. “For me, it’s always synonymous with excellence: supreme quality, perfect execution, and exquisite artisanal craftsmanship. You can’t always agree on matters of taste, but the quality level is just non-negotiable.” Then he added, “It’s also a non-negotiable today [to produce] fashion in the most ethical way possible, without being harmful or disrespectful towards people or the environment. In my opinion, democracy first and foremost rhymes with respect.”
19 September 2018
The great Gatsby was in Brunello Cucinelli’s mind for his Spring collection: “It’s a young Gatsby though, contemporary and a little sporty,” he said. Capturing the spirit of youth, together with a sense of dapper ease, was very much on his mind, too; apparently, millennials make for a good chunk of the label’s customers. “Because of the quite expensive price, maybe they buy just one great piece, like a soft-tailored blazer which can be worn with everything on every occasion, from a denim shirt or with layered T-shirts or over a waistcoat or a tie. A jacket always elevates the look.”Cucinell’s style is quite ageless; at his presentations, the collection is modeled by his employees, from twentysomethings to handsome guys in their 60s. But looking young and well put together is paramount; according to the entrepreneur, traditional stiff tailoring makes a man look and feel old, so he’s perfected his signature silhouette, relaxed yet enhancing the male body in all the right places. The Cucinelli tailoring technique dictates that a jacket must have soft yet well defined shoulders, be fitted and trim at the waist, and cut with aplomb on the back. It’s a template that changes every season ever so slightly. For Spring, blazers or double-breasted jackets were just one inch longer; cut in textured linens and cottons in soft hues of sand, caramel, and tobacco, they felt as lightweight and malleable as cardigans, and would’ve delighted Jay Gatsby, surely.Gatsby’s style was mentioned as a subtext for the collection not to celebrate a past sense of elegance; Cucinelli is not a nostalgic. Actually, it was because in the ’20s noble sports like tennis, sailing, or golf were for the first time referenced in formal dressing. Today, sportswear as stylistic language has become so globally pervasive, it’s impossible to ignore. Cucinelli obviously gave his personal interpretation of the theme. Pointing out a luxurious version of a tracksuit in heavenly soft cashmere worn under a supple quilted-leather waistcoat, he said, “When on Sundays you get up early to go buy the brioches for your breakfast, you must still look your best and be well groomed.” It doesn’t matter that the tracksuit in question sells at around $6,000? “My sportswear is obviously of outstanding quality,” he remarked, nonplussed. “It’s expensive-looking andmolto signorile.”
16 June 2018
You couldn’t quite call Brunello Cucinelli bohemian—his suits are too precisely hewn for that—but this season, the philosophically inclined luxury magnate and his team injected a palpably unconventional edge into his womenswear. The collection was as richly flavored by Cucinelli’s memories of the time when he started his company (1978) as the presentation space was scented by the Tuscan stews and cheeses on offer next door.The trophy pieces were the four-yarn intarsia hand-knit separates that jumbled clusters of differently colored cashmere, mohair, alpaca, and extra-fine cashmere yarn amidst a scattering of sequins. One cardigan apparently took 32 hours to make; a longer coat, 44. Around these pieces, Cucinelli placed a lot of rich but muted-toned velvet and velvet corduroy tailoring punctuated by strapped cummerbunds; more mirrored velvet jackets; and woolen paper-bag pants and jackets in Prince of Wales checks and other menswear patterns. These were worn over shirting and knits patched with lace and more sequins.One great shock for those who first wear Cucinelli’s tailoring tends to be the discrepancy between how it looks and how it feels: What appears formal moves freely. Today, the company added a more overt informality to its womenswear to lessen that distance. The emphasis on the handcraft of his Solomeo, Italy, workforce in those knits was, said Cucinelli, meant to signal “a folk attitude. We have a lot of skilled masters, artisans, who can blend all these elements together.” Cucinelli didn’t once mention the 40th anniversary of his company, which has to be a fashion first: Maybe, under that super-soft corduroy lurks a true bohemian after all.
21 February 2018
When meeting with Brunello Cucinelli to review his collections, one finds him roaming about the showroom, surrounded by a posse of good-looking models. Of different ages and body types, more glowingly healthy than super fit, and attractive in their groomed ease, the models really do look handsome in their Cucinellis. Even if one desperately tries to feign indifference, the effect they provoke in the (re)viewer is even more discombobulating because they look “real.” Like if they were actual boyfriends, husbands, brothers. “They’re all my employees,” Cucinelli reported, sounding amused. “They work in the factory at Solomeo as artisans, or in the shipping department, or as accountants or managers. Why do you look so surprised?”Cucinelli actually tries all his designs on his employees: ”When they go for lunch at noon it looks like a fashion show,” he laughed. They’re allowed to buy all the clothes they want from the collections, being charged only for the cost of the fabric, which is obviously of excellent quality; it’s definitely quite the bargain. He asks for their feedback and advice on fit and styling, and takes their opinions very seriously. “We even discuss the lapels’ proportions most fastidiously,” he explained. “Here, it’s like a continuous fashion workshop. You never feel alone.”The results of said workshop were on ample display. While in keeping with the well-established Cucinelli look, there were subtle tweaks on fit, which was slightly looser, and on proportions, with jackets and pants slightly longer: just-nuanced improvements, detected only by the trained eye and by the many diehard Cucinelli aficionados, but effective in giving the look a fresh update. As for the made-in-Italy fabrics, corduroy velvet was treated almost as cashmere, feathery light and supple, for comfortably stylish pantsuits paired with cloud-like alpaca sweaters. Shearling peacoats were likewise buttery soft. Styling was kept simple yet layered; colors were warm and tonal. Like everything else in the collection, they were tastefully blended and balanced with flair.
13 January 2018
Remember Godfrey Reggio’s documentaries from the 1980s and 1990s:Anima Mundi,Koyaanisqatsi, andPowaqqatsi? At that time, they looked like visually hypnotic extravaganzas bordering on the crazily apocalyptic. They now seem eerily prescient in their hallucinatory depiction of a “world out of balance,” which is the meaning of the Hopi words that gaveKoyaanisqatsiits title. The collision between culture and nature is something that’s happening right in front of our horrified eyes on almost a daily basis now—no need to expand further on this subject.Brunello Cucinelli is a socially conscious entrepreneur, so it comes as no surprise that he named his Spring collection Anima Mundi. He didn’t overtly refer to Reggio’s movies, though. While obviously acknowledging the sense of malaise that permeates our world, he opted to strike a positive note instead. “The world has one soul, and we as human beings are all part of it with no distinctions whatsoever; the universe is the same for all of us,” he said. “We have to respect this spirit of sharing the same origins. We have to work hard to integrate our differences and our traditions in a positive, respectful way. We’re all different, but we’re all the same.” We couldn’t agree more.Cucinelli explained that he wanted the collection to celebrate a feeling of fusion: blending tribalism with urban culture, exoticism, and local traditions. “Diversity is something that should bring people together, not divide,” he said. A mash-up of references was translated into a coherent blend, balanced Cucinelli-style to achieve a believable, practical collection that focused on daywear. The usual masculine inspiration was softened by a modicum of feminine suppleness. “Now, more than ever, we need softness, patience, slowness—[we need to take] the time to appreciate what life has to offer,” he mused.Feathers, subtle shiny decorations, a palette of warm earth tones, and rich textures lent a flair of sensuality to a collection where the sporty inspiration was smoothed by a feminine edge, and the label’s signature soft tailoring was toughened up with a techno edge. Skirts were a new introduction to the lineup and came in many iterations; they were wrapped softly (as in long, checkered raw linen sarongs worn with double-organza bombers that were as light as shirts); or tiered—ballerina-style—in frilly net tulle scattered with feathers, dusted with a sprinkle of gold, or lacquered with a metallic shine.
They looked cool when paired with light cotton safari shirts or with thick, raw-textured knitted blousons. The collection looked convincing, both in concept and in execution; and while Cucinelli is definitely not your average entrepreneur—quoting, as he does, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Epicurus with nonchalance—he keeps his eyes firmly on the bottom line. This collection will probably make his customers happy, and the bottom line, too.
21 September 2017
Brunello Cucinelli was recently awarded the Global Economy Prize by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a prestigious German think tank that ranks among the top research centers in international economics. He received a mention as Honorable Merchant. “I felt humbled,” he said. “They’ve acknowledged all that’s at the heart of my entire work ethic, of my entire life. Respect, humanity, fairness. I was so moved, the night after the ceremony I couldn't sleep!”Cucinelli’s collections are as consistent as his personal style, which hasn’t changed much throughout the years. He really owns it. It’s a special blend of not-so-informal informal. He’s never without a well-tailored, well-lived-in blazer, fitted just so but comfortable as a shirt; he likes his pants at ankle length, no socks! Sometimes a tie. Often a T-shirt replaces a formal shirt. The color blue. During his collections’ presentations, he can easily be mistaken for one of the models, who are usually people working for him at his headquarters in Solomeo, or his friends, or friends of friends. He’s definitely the best fashion advertising for his label.His new collection had a warm feel—sporty-chic with a sunny vibe. Cucinelli referred to the movieOut of Africaas an inspiration; double-breasted blazers and safari-inspired jackets were fitted, cut with soft precision, and came in a variety of hyper-lightweight fabrics, like a linen normally used for shirting. The color palette was sensual; hues of tobacco, iroko wood, and amber were spiced up with flashes of burnt orange, red, corn, and purple. As usual, execution was impeccable, yet details had a feel of the artisanal; they were a celebration of the human touch, so dear to Cucinelli.
19 June 2017
To say that the fashion industry is currently in transition is an understatement. Designers are either unemployed or jumping from employer to employer faster than the time it takes to make a proper introduction. As companies scramble to figure out how to redesign their identity and their commercial offering, customers are sparse, fickle, unfaithful, and disoriented. The state of the world—which is not in the best shape—clearly doesn’t help. There is more than enough to question about the future. Yet apparently there is hope, at least according to the ever-upbeat and positive-thinking Brunello Cucinelli.Having built a sustainable business based on ethical principles, he’s now in a solid position—revenues are good, expansion is happening at an organic pace, and employees seem to be involved and responsible. Is it heaven on earth? “My focus has always been firmly on inclusivity, social responsibility, [and] integration,” said Cucinelli with aplomb during his Fall presentation. “There’s nothing to be surprised about.”The design team worked the collection around the concept of exploration; it is intended to represent a positive outlook and an open mind toward diversity. “Inclusive combinations—respectful of different ages, races, [and] cultures—that is what it’s all about,” explained Cucinelli. Masculine references were lightened and graced with a feminine, sensual flair; military elements were softened by lace, embroidery, feathers, or vintage trimmings. Knitwear in precious alpaca, cashmere, and mohair was given a fluffy texture, as if it were a protective vellum. To enhance the inclusivity factor, shapes and volumes had gently oversize and comfortable proportions, appealing to a variety of body types without detracting from a stylish, cool attitude. Sporty inspiration was tempered by urban, utilitarian touches, as in a shearling biker jacket with a textured, antique gold metallic shine. It appeared effortless and substantial, made for real women who handle everyday challenges gracefully—managing to look good in the here and now, not in some fantasy disconnected from reality.
22 February 2017
Brunello Cucinellicalled his Fall collection The Art of Blend, and not surprisingly so. “Today there’s the desire for a well-balanced life; consumption is becoming more considered and ethical,” he lectured during the collection’s presentation in his showroom. “Men don’t really care about changing their wardrobe every season; basically, they don’t like to throw away old things. That’s why blending the old with the new has become a new curated fashion language.”Cucinelli’s style doesn’t stray from a few tried-and-tested rules, and throughout the years it has remained faithful to its classy ease, which, together with a well-groomed yet relaxed sense of sartorial flair, is at the core of his vision. “In menswear, small details make all the difference,” said the designer. “And with the right jacket, a man can easily look stylish.” Hence Cucinelli’s emphasis on his signature blazers, which, for Fall, had a smoother, softer fit; paired with loose, cropped, and cuffed matching trousers, they made for Cucinelli’s suit’s new template. They were casually formal if worn with denim shirts, wool polo necks, or even simple cotton T-shirts, and could be combined in endless individual interpretations following their owner’s whim.As is paramount chez Cucinelli, fabrics were of the highest quality; velvet was used, as well as baby alpaca and noble fibers. Colors were more vivid than usual, underlining the energetic mood that permeated the lineup, where elements from activewear, casual, and formalwear blended into a very Italian medley with a distinctive, nonchalant yet dapper flair. “It’s an elevated individual look, which could’ve been put together by a modern alchemist,” concluded the rakish entrepreneur, as if speaking of his own personal sense of style.
14 January 2017
A conversation withBrunello Cucinelliusually involves him discussing the state the world is in. It sounds ponderous, but it’s actually quite refreshing to find a power player in the fashion establishment who doesn’t just blabber about his balance sheet (even if, in Cucinelli’s case, the numbers are pretty good, amounting this year to a healthy growth of around 10 percent). He seems genuinely concerned about a more humanistic, ethical approach: “We need to give a new meaning to the word ‘moderation’ in every aspect of our lifestyle,” he said at a preview of his Spring collection. “Every year, 80 billion garments are produced in the world—it’s insane!” How could one disagree? We’re actually surrounded, almost drowned, in “stuff,” so this is a serious concern—obviously not one that’s easy to address. “It almost feels as if we were living a sort of La Grande Bouffe,” said Cucinelli, referring to the French-Italian film in which a group of people decide to fine-dine themselves to death. “Where’s the human factor gone? It has to take center stage again.” He even stressed his point with Instagram’s Kevin Systrom, who invited him to San Francisco for a meeting. “I said to him: ‘You guys are the Leonardo da Vincis of the Web; you’re genius! But the informatic noise is too loud, it has made the soul suffer—you guys have to try to humanize the Web now.’ ” Apparently, Instagram dispatched a few Leonardos to see how Solomeo, the small village where Cucinelli’s headquarters are located, actually functions.Cucinelli is not tapping in to the see-now-buy-now trend; luxury takes time to be produced: “It’s a process that has to be savored,” he said. This collection showed plenty of rich, tactile, almost sensuous fabrics and textures with an artisanal feel; handmade finishes abounded. Shapes were modern, totally unfussy, practical, and smart; sportswear served as a foundation around which the lineup was built, along with masculine tailoring softened by a relaxed, feminine flair. The styling relied on layering to keep the silhouette interesting and articulated; a cashmere tracksuit in poppy red was paired with a double-breasted masculine blazer, and a loose, long ivory silk dress was worn with a fil coupe hoodie and a cashmere bomber. The lineup felt luxurious yet fresh, and with the right dash of a young, modern vibe.
21 September 2016
Brunello Cucinellihad just got back from Florence, where he’d presented his Spring Summer collection to international buyers at Pitti Uomo. He was in a buoyant mood: “Now Italian Men’s Fashion Week starts from Florence and stretches out to Milan,” he enthused. “It’s becoming more and more an integrated format that balances trade and fashion.” This balance is what keeps Cucinelli’s style consistent—at least as consistent as his florid bottom line.The label doesn’t stray from its signature look, yet every season a few elements are slightly adjusted to add freshness and a modern spin to its vocabulary. This was apparent in today’s lineup, presented as usual on a handsome casting of models, friends, and employees, making a point of its ageless, flexible, versatile quality. “The jacket is paramount,” said the entrepreneur. “I’m obsessive about the fit. It has to be près du corps, enhancing the shoulders, the waist, and the torso; yet it must be light. Easy. Not constrictive.” In Cucinelli’s world, wearing a well-cut, relaxed jacket on every possible occasion—be it formal or not—is absolutely not negotiable. He pointed out blazers in a zillion different iterations, made of the finest fabrics; they were paired with softly tapered drawstring pants and worn over elegant polo shirts or layered cotton T-shirts. Models, friends, and employees: They all looked quite cool—that is, in the Italian dapper-cool way. Even denim exuded a quite soigné attitude; it looked impeccable, meticulously ripped to perfection.
18 June 2016
“Lightness. Softness. Quality. A conversation between the masculine and the feminine.” This is what a dapperBrunello Cucinellihad to say about his latest collection as he got ready for the coveted luncheon given today by Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to kick offMilan Fashion Week. Cucinelli pointed out a lineup abundant with unlined coats and malleable jackets impeccably made from the most luxurious fabrics, which at times felt almost weightless. Alpacas, mohairs, brushed wools, cashmere fleeces, flannels, velours, bouclés: It read like a catalogue of the finest offerings from Italy’s best mills. The cornucopia of textures was turned into modern, unfussy, practical shapes for daywear looks with a slight retro edge.A touch of dandy elegance gave the assemblage a charming flair; pieces were layered with an easy, confident nonchalance. Masculine touches were apparent in the medley of fabrics and patterns borrowed from classical menswear tailoring (the focus was on a zillion variations of trousers), which constitute a sort of wardrobe foundation in Cucinelli’s parlance. They were pleated at the waist and cropped or slim and tapered; of exaggerated, skirtlike volume or sportswear-inspired; slouchy and drop-crotched or wrapped and draped—there were enough styles to suit an encyclopedia of possible tastes, styling requirements, and body shapes. Worn with coats of generous proportions, the trousers made for a new take on relaxed suiting. Crisp poplin shirts adorned with ribbons and bows at the collar had a Byron-esque flavor; textured sweaters knitted from the thinnest yarns were a smart option for the unpredictable temperatures of contemporary winter, and the corresponding need for layering. It all looked pretty cool, and the luxe edge was there in full force, too.“It takes at least three whole months to get the production of the finest fabrics right, and at least five months to have a perfectly tailored outfit ready, considering the whole process from sourcing the yarn until achieving the best possible result,” said Cucinelli, obliquely addressing the “show now buy now” conundrum rocking the fashion industry. “Luxe takes time to be made; it definitely doesn’t happen overnight.”
24 February 2016
“It’s about father and son sharing the same wardrobe,” said a grinningBrunello Cucinellipresenting his Fall collection. “The father will look younger, and the son will save on his budget!” But the savings seemed a bit unlikely: This lineup was full of many desirable pieces to be worn with the trademark Cucinelli elegant nonchalance. The clothes looked appealing to an ageless audience which favors comfort and a sporty touch but is partial to high quality and a certain deconstructed flair. The dialogue between formal and informal is at the core of Cucinelli’s work, where the lines between occasion dressing and formalwear are blurred. This season it all revolved around a zillion versions of the jacket, presented as the foundation of a versatile, practical look.“A well-tailored jacket is style-defining and can change your attitude in a minute,” enthused Cucinelli, asking a (very good-looking) model to demonstrate how this assumption worked. Jacket off: look ready for the weekend. Jacket on: look ready for a dinner—or even for the boardroom. In any case, the fit should be relaxed, the weight almost imperceptible, the fabric malleable as if it were a sweater. Cucinelli’s jackets are almost a hybrid. They were grounded by a broad offering of trousers: elegantly ripped denims, cashmere jogging-inspired pants, or softly tailored pants for more formal occasions. A natural palette of earth tones, grays, and blues added a touch of chic and distinctive character to a look with a versatile modern attitude.
17 January 2016
“The charm of irregularity” is howBrunello Cucinellidescribed the spirit of his Spring collection, a lineup of fluid shapes in creamy whites where raw textures took center stage. Inspired by the elegant beach resorts of the Années Folles, and the sophisticated yet dégagé style of the decadent elites of that era who holidayed in Deauville and Biarritz, the style was relaxed and soft with a subtle retro feel. A touch of modernity was added through references to the Japanese love of organic materials—their traditional streamlined, minimal lines and sophisticated cutting techniques.“Embracing imperfections is a fascinating concept, because it mirrors nature and the flow of life itself,” said a dapper Cucinelli, pointing out sweaters knitted with raw hemp, dusters cut from buttery-soft raw silk, and cardigans in corrugated yet supersoft yarns. Pants were the foundation of the collection, which, despite the exotic visual inspiration, was rooted in practicality and wearable day looks. Ankle-grazing culottes were gathered and softly pleated at the waist; a wraparound skirt–trouser hybrid looked modern. Paired with a pearl gray shaved mink sleeveless top, it added a touch of luxe to the lineup.Jackets were elongated and masculine with a relaxed feel, due to the use of ultra-lightweight fabrics.Garçonne-style cardigans recalled the sophisticated insouciance and the sporty elegance of the ’20s, but were given the signature Cucinelli treatment: Crafted with raw, precious fibers, they were deconstructed to achieve a sort of chubby yet fluid effect. “I’d like my style to be extremely versatile, day-to-night, ageless, timeless, perfect for women of all ages and sizes,” he enthused. Case in point: His elegant wife and their two young daughters were on hand—and all looking at ease clad in head-to-toe Cucinelli.
24 September 2015
As a soccer player, Brunello Cucinelli's favorite position was central defenseman, and he especially admired the no-prisoners-taken technique of Nobby Stiles: "He was small, but he was very strong—bruto!—and he left his opponents no room to move." Now 61, Cucinelli's soccer days are done—he feels playing would be as inappropriate as wearing his new favorite distressed-wash Japanese jeans without a blazer above them—but he patrols the territory his business has defined for itself with ferocious energy. Even his translator (and she is very, very fast) can sometimes barely keep up with him."We are experiencing a beautiful momentum," Cucinelli said in his showroom today. "We expect a beautiful 2015, scoring and delivering a double-digit growth. More and more strongly we feel that the taste for lightweight, chic, and sporty is spreading." This he stated flanked by a phalanx of models dressed in this season's variation of Total Cucinelli. The marquee signings were the aforementioned Japanese denim, a new fuller-thigh-but-tapered-at-the-calf, one-pleat trouser shape, and some sporty slogan shirts that exalted harmony of body and mind in Latin or displayed the skyline of Cucinelli's Solomeo nerve center. But the engine of this proposition remained the tailored jacket: over T-shirt and knit, over high-V tee (never deep), over suede gilet with shirt and tie, under biker, under gilet…mix and match ad infinitum. Cucinelli inhabits a parallel universe in which all men have perfectly disordered hair and chuck their soccer gear into handmade canvas and calfskin kit bags. Underpinning this fantasy are clothes, shoes, and accessories that emanate an institutional wholesomeness and are spectacularly well made. Quality kit.
20 June 2015
"This is a cashmere fur," said Brunello Cucinelli, pointing out an elongated gilet with a lining so soft it was almost impalpable. Cashmere fur? Never heard of it; but apparently there is no limit to what can be achieved by the über-skilled craftsmen in Solomeo. The technique sounds quite esoteric—it involves combing, brushing, massaging, and coating a goatskin with a special finish until, via some sort of morphing process, it becomes so impossibly ethereal that it seems almost as if it had never belonged to a living thing.The rest of the lineup was grounded in more solid turf: Mother Earth was invoked in the collection's title, Wild Luxury, which referred to an organic, textured feel. Mineral shades—stone, geyser, lava, Pietra Serena, Miniera—were combined with trademark winter whites, adding a quality of cool warmth to grainy, sandy surfaces dusted with metal flecks. Cashmere came in as many luxurious versions as you can get. It was woven with golden Lurex or tightly knitted with tiny "diamond knots," embroidered and appliqués to rough effect. Fluffed and brushed, it was curly as fleece.The silhouette was layered yet streamlined, with a touch of cool styling—separates in relaxed shapes and contrasting materials were easy to mix and match, making for a versatile, flexible look. Slouchy cropped pants with a dropped crotch added a welcome masculine counterpoint to the hyper-feminine, sensuous abundance of plush fabrics, voluptuous knits, and rich furs. In Cucinelli's world, the luxury factor is stronger than the wild one—and it's definitely more tamed than primal.
25 February 2015
Brunello Cucinelli's showroom is a beguiling world hewn in shades of beige, mountains of cashmere, and menswear of a conventional aesthetic crafted by sublime manufacture with a price to match. It feels unreal, unless your bank balance is too. "I made a decision to do everything 'made in Italy,' of exceptional quality, and to be in luxury—so this is the world I inhabit," Cucinelli said at his Fall presentation. "But I don't want to be snob about it."And to his credit, neither Cucinelli's clothes nor his point of view carries any hint of snootiness. His central tenet (apart from quality) is a considered irreverence for the sartorial codes. Match the trousers of a 180-gram cashmere puppy-tooth suit with the plain gray one-and-a-half double-breasted jacket of another? Why not? Wear your cashmere jogging pants and hoodie under a blazer or a double cashmere overcoat and, says Cucinelli, you will look perfectly appropriate in a business meeting.The suiting here was soft of shoulder, slim of cut, and skirted just low enough to not count as bum freezers. Cucinelli's formal trousers have an alchemic formula that somehow allows them to look like smart, slimming "slacks" but to move with supple elasticity. Cucinelli is seen more as an entrepreneur than as a designer, but when he was asked about the word "Lemmi" in the label of his jacket, he described a 30-year back-and-forth with a tailor named Augusto Lemmi. Cucinelli wanted his jackets slim but to feel loose, with the look of a double-breasted when buttoned but no wings when undone. Over the years he and Lemmi, now 84, worked it out.Cucinelli's belief is that apex-quality goods are rare in a market with a broad middle of mediocrity and, thus, will always be in demand. His demilitarized greatcoat and shearling duffle are particularly ravishing exponents of that in this collection. "If you want to eat a peach, you want it to be a good peach," he reckons. Even a sliver would do nicely.
17 January 2015
Brunello Cucinelli had every reason to be in an upbeat mood at the preview of his Spring collection today. Dapper and cheerful, he disclosed that in the first semester of 2014 the company (public, after an IPO in 2012) had posted revenues of a healthy 12 percent over last year. It's been a long journey from the small Umbrian town of Solomeo to the airy showroom in the center of Milan where he showed clothes that tapped into the current activewear trend, resulting in a collection with a sporty, fluid, and relaxed feel.Cucinelli is known for innovative techniques, and they were on display in pieces like a gray mink cropped jacket, laser-cut in diamond patterns using a method that ensures the heat of the laser doesn't burn the fur, instead making it fluffier and softer. The jacket was smartly paired with roomy off-white cashmere track pants, a loose silk tee, and silvery sneakers for a cool, easy look.Decoration was exotic. Ostrich feathers were waxed and knitted into mesh macramé; python appeared in tender, dusty shades of antique pink on bombers with rounded, engineered sleeves; raffia and lasered silks formed corrugated, fragmented layers and fringes. A section of romantic evening dresses and separates in tulle and organza injected some light, feminine flair into the sporty theme.
17 September 2014