fashion
Brunello
Cucinelli
On Lessons
LearnedOver Seven
Decades
Cucinelli turned 70 on Sept. 3, marking
the birthday with a celebratory event in
Solomeo attended by 600 guests. Herehe looks back at what helped shape his life
and turned him into the man he is today.
BY LUISA ZARGANIBrunello Cucinelliat the celebratory
event for hisbirthday Sept. 3.

Brunello
Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli believes souls are eternal and any
project he takes on is conceived to be long-lasting — evenstretching out for centuries.
Turning 70 on Sept. 3 was clearly a milestone, as
the designer and entrepreneur that evening staged acelebratory event in the medieval Italian town of Solomeo,
where his home and headquarters are located, inviting
600 guests who ranged from his employees to journalists
to celebrities such as Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Park andAva Phillippe. But Cucinelli continues to keep his eye on
the future, confessing a wish for his company to standfor generations after him. Building a theater and anamphitheater, as well as a monument paying tribute tohuman dignity, in Solomeo is aligned with this goal.
That said, Cucinelli was willing to look back to the past
for WWD to reﬂect on what each of his seven decades hastaught him.

First Decade The FarmEver the optimist, he believes “every decade is beautiful”
and his ﬁrst images are of his life in the countryside. Born
in Castel Rigone, about 10 miles away from Solomeo, theson of a farmer, he imagines his sense of style could behanded down by his father, who insisted that the furrows
plowed should be “straight and accurate. The idea ofbeauty and order is the ﬁrst law of the universe,” as per
the classical conception and Aristotle — one of Cucinelli’s
oft-quoted mentors.
He admits his memory is strong, and attributes this to50 SEPTEMBER 2023 / WWD WEEKEND

the fact that he doesn’t “seek things on Google” but rather
exercises his memory — a sort of brain training.
One way to recover his energy, he reveals, is that hetakes a nap every day from 1:45 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. “It works
wonders,” he says with a knowing smile.

Second Decade Moving to the City
The second decade was less carefree, as it coincided withseeing his father’s humiliation — an image Cucinelli has
worked his whole life to reverse through his commitment
to preserve human dignity.
“We left the country and went to live in the suburbs ofPerugia in prefabricated buildings made of reinforced
concrete. Back then it was a farmer’s dream to live in thecity and work in a factory, but it turned out to be a hard andrepetitive life. My father did not complain about the pay or
the hardship, but I would see him with tears in his eyes. He
did not understand why he should be so humiliated, looked
down on. Humankind needs dignity more than bread. And
my father always told me I should be a good, decent person.”This is a motivation that continues to shape his actions
today, aiming for a balance between proﬁt and giving
back, underscoring the need to pay taxes as “a value, aduty and at the same time an act of respect to the society
we live in and to other people. Just like proﬁt, which mustbe harmonious and commensurate. How can excessive
proﬁt be justiﬁed?”
True to his word, Cucinelli has, for example, invested inmany restoration projects over the years and established ►Brunello
Cucinelli, age 17

fashion

Cucinelli married
his childhood
sweetheart in1982.

Brunello Cucinelli
and his family.

Sixth Decade IPO, Honors
The following decade represented a sort of seal ofapproval, he says with a smile, as he was honored in2010 by Italy’s then-President Giorgio Napolitano withthe title of Cavaliere del Lavoro, or Knight of Labor, oneof the country’s highest recognitions. In November 2010
he received an honorary degree in ethics and philosophy
from the University of Perugia. “That was the best gift everon a cultural level,” says Cucinelli. That same day, his ﬁrst
granddaughter, Vittoria, was born, delivered by Camilla,
he recalls fondly.
In 2012, Cucinelli publicly listed his company,“the most beautiful moment of our history at anentrepreneurial level.” One of the goals was to secure
the company’s longevity. At the time of the road show,
he candidly dissuaded investors who were looking forﬁnancial speculation and fast gains through the IPO. Hestill stands by his mantra — “to grow in a healthy, gentle
and graceful way” — and continues to believe it was theright decision for his company, learning to open up to themarket and cherishing the exchange and relationships
with and support of analysts and investors.

Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli photograph by Guido Gambardella

Third DecadeFirst Cashmere Pullovers

Fourth Decade The Family Man
The following decade sees Cucinelli as a family man, getting
married in March 1982 to Federica, his childhood sweetheart.
“We had a three-day honeymoon in Piedmont; I had to getback for our sales campaign,” he recalls with a shrug.
His ﬁrst daughter, Camilla, was born on July 19 thatsame year, followed by Carolina on Feb. 23, 1991. Carolina
is now co-creative director and copresident of theThe decade starting 2020 will be forever
remembered for the spread of COVID-19
around the world, but Cucinelli never lost
hope during the pandemic, despite thetragedy of losing some friends. He quotes
15th-century humanist Thomas More andthe rules of the universe that mankind
can’t dominate. Long a champion ofMade in Italy, he realized it was the time
to focus on creativity, continuing tosupport his company’s suppliers and themanufacturing pipeline and to stand by
the retailers and wholesalers with which
he had worked all his life, without letting
go of any of his employees — a vision that
he says has paid oﬀ and actually gave
him a leg up on competitors when thepandemic ended.
He singles out the announcementof the Pﬁzer [and BioNTech] vaccine
as one of the most hopeful moments.
“I went to my father’s house, and hesaid it was the most beautiful day since
May 8, 1945 when the war ended.” Cucinelli’s father,
who lived nearby and died last year aged 100, was a key
point of reference. “I remember how in March 2020 he
was hopeful that spring would return just as swallows do,
every year,” signaling better times ahead.
In 2021, Cucinelli was invited by Italy’s then-Prime
Minister Mario Draghi to speak at the G20 Summitin Rome about human sustainability and humanistic
capitalism. Despite the nerves before the speech, it
was a highlight for Cucinelli, “a beautiful sensation,” andone that allowed him to understand how high-proﬁlepoliticians, such as King Charles III, then Prince ofWales, and former Chancellor of Germany AngelaMerkel, “the ﬁrst to arrive” at the location, are “notdissimilar from anyone else, humans, with their own
concerns and worries.” ■Brunello Cucinelli andUniversity La Sapienza
Rector Antonella Polimenti.

the Solomeo School of Crafts to train new generations. “Everysingle day I try to pay the utmost attention to ensuring thatearnings are in line with the morality of my entrepreneurial
business and with the high quality of my product.”
He recalls how moving away from the country, his family
suddenly had a television and electricity. “Before, we only
had the sun, the moon and the stars.” Cucinelli discovered
Immanuel Kant at the bar, where he befriended a groupof students that introduced him to philosophy. “I couldn’t
be part of the discussions,” which led him to be self-taught
and to a lifelong interest in the subject matter.
“Two things move me: The sky above me and the moral
law inside me,” he says.

Learning to sew from his mother, when he was 25 hesold his ﬁrst 53 women’s pullovers, a milestone moment
representing the seeds of what would become his calling.
They were in six colors, from azure to orange and lightyellow, slim, and to be worn under a ﬁtted jacket. He
wanted them to be feminine and sexy and says they were
somewhat inspired by Gianfranco Ferré’s style.
He was driven by the idea of a Made in Italy product,
leveraging the expertise of the artisans in the Umbria
region, a storied knitwear hub. “I chose cashmere because
you don’t throw it away,” he says, a precursor of today’s
sustainability goals.

Seventh Decade
Dealing With the Pandemic

Brunello Cucinelli company, and her sister Camilla isco-head of the designer brand’s women’s style team.

Fifth Decade Stoicism
The onset of the following decade was clouded by thesudden death of his mother when Cucinelli was 41. She
was 71 and did not recover from a stroke, but Cucinelli
recalls he did manage to spend two hours alone with her
in the hospital, a conversation he still cherishes. “We said
beautiful things to one another — after all we’d always had
a nice relationship. I am not afraid of death now because
I believe our souls live forever and I still talk to her.”He cites Aristotle and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius
practicing Stoicism, as well as Seneca and the acceptanceof pain tackling what is beyond our power.

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