Italian Luxury · Solomeo · Est. 1978
Brunello Cucinelli
Grace, beauty and humanity — the art of living well.
Brunello Cucinelli was born in 1953 in Castel Rigone, Umbria, to a farming family with no electricity or running water. After dropping out of engineering school at 24, he began dyeing cashmere in a small workshop in 1977, founding his company in Solomeo — a tiny medieval village near Perugia — in 1978 with the equivalent of about $550. His first product was coloured cashmere sweaters for women, at a time when cashmere came only in black, grey and beige. The colours were inspired by Benetton's palette, but the material was infinitely more precious.
Cucinelli describes his business philosophy as 'humanistic capitalism' — a conviction that profit must be balanced by the moral and economic dignity of every worker. Employees at Solomeo work in light-filled studios, finish at 5:30pm, receive wages above the Italian average, and are encouraged to read philosophy on their lunch breaks. A significant portion of company profits funds the Solomeo Foundation, which has restored the village's theatre, amphitheatre, and surrounding landscape. The 14th-century castle that serves as headquarters was purchased and restored by Cucinelli personally.
Brunello Cucinelli sources cashmere exclusively from the finest goats in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, selecting only fibre from the neck and belly — the softest regions. The cashmere is hand-combed, hand-dyed using natural dyes and woven on specialist looms in Solomeo. Each piece passes through multiple artisan hands before completion. The brand went public on the Milan Stock Exchange in 2012 and reached €1.14 billion in sales in 2023, growing 24% year-on-year.
Brunello Cucinelli is at the centre of the 'quiet luxury' movement — the rejection of logos and ostentation in favour of exceptional materials and understated design. The HBO series Succession dressed its characters almost exclusively in Cucinelli, making the brand a shorthand for old-money taste. Cucinelli has never collaborated with a celebrity, never pursued mass-market strategies, and has consistently refused to compromise his production methods for the sake of growth.
Brunello Cucinelli's cashmere crew-neck sweaters begin around €900–1,200. Outerwear — cashmere coats, leather jackets — ranges from €3,000 to €8,000. Tailored suits start around €3,500. Accessories begin around €400. Every piece is made in Italy. The brand's prices have risen consistently with its growing prestige.