Brioni is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

menswear Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

luxury

fashion house Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...

based in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and specialised in sartorial

ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a partic ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

goods, shoes, eyewear and fragrance, and provides a tailor-made service. Brioni was founded in Rome in 1945. In 1952, the brand organised the first menswear runway show in the modern history of fashion. The brand invented the trunk show and the Prêt Couture. Brioni opened the tailoring school Scuola di Alta Sartoria in Penne, Italia, in 1985. Brioni was acquired by the luxury group

Kering Kering S.A. () is a French multinational holding company specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. It owns the brands Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Creed, Maui Jim, and Alexander McQueen. The timber-tradin ...

in 2011. Mehdi Benabadji is the CEO of Brioni since December 2019, and Norbert Stumpfl the creative director since October 2018. The company registered the image of a

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

player as its logo in 1952, over a decade before

Polo Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American public company, publicly traded fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 1967 by Ralph Lauren in New York City. The company markets products in apparel, home, accessories, and fragrances, and is most known ...

began using a variation of the symbol.

History

Peacock Revolution

The first Brioni store, a tailor menswear boutique, was established on Via Barberini 79 in Rome in 1945 by Nazareno Fonticoli and Gaetano Savini. The name Brioni is a reference to the Croatian

Brijuni The Brijuni () or the Brijuni Islands (also known as the Brionian Islands; ) are a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea, separated from the west coast of the Istria, Istrian peninsula by the narrow Fa ...

Islands, a vacation destination for European

jet set The jet set is a social group of wealthy and fashionable people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term was introduced in 1949 and replaced " café society"; it reflected a style of life ...

ters. Brioni was the first tailor for menswear to use bold colors and lighter material, introducing new silhouettes using slimmer shapes with natural shoulders. In 1952, Brioni staged the first menswear

fashion show A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is wh ...

in the modern history of fashion, inside the Sala Bianca at

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, where the Peacock Revolution was introduced. Brioni also invented the trunk show, during which the collections were presented directly in stores, allowing customers to personalize the garments with the ''Su Misura'' service (made-to-measure). Brioni promoted the “total look”, manufacturing suits, hats, ties, shirts and shoes. In 1959, a production plant was opened in

Penne, Abruzzo Penne (, ; ''Pònne'' in the local dialect) is an Italian town in the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region, in mid-southern Italy. According to the last census in 2014 the population was 12,451. It is one of ("The most beautiful villages of ...

, birth town of Nazareno Fonticoli. Called Brioni Roman Style, the state-of-the-art factory introduced the concept of Prêt Couture, or ready-to-wear Haute Couture that sealed the international rise of the brand. During the 1950s, Brioni organized fashion shows in 9 US cities which launched the distribution of the brand in the USA. Brioni raised interests from celebrities, heads of state and business leaders. American movie stars of the 1950s such as

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

wore Brioni suits in Hollywood, giving international exposure to the brand. In 1959, Brioni launched a production plant, the Brioni Roman Style in Penne, which introduced the concept of Prêt Couture that also precipitated the international rise of the brand.

Expansion

In 1985, the company opened a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ing school in Penne with the aim of transmitting to younger generations the specific Brioni sartorial method. The same year, Brioni opened a store in New-York's

Fisher Building The Fisher Building is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan, landmark List of tallest buildings in Detroit, skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center, Detroit, New Center area of Detroit, Michig ...

on 52nd Street. In 1990, Umberto Angeloni was appointed CEO of Brioni. He embarked the company in a diversification of its product lines, from sportswear to womenswear (Lady Brioni) and accessories. Between 1995 and 2001, the company's revenue grew threefold to 150 million dollars. In 2007, Brioni tied a partnership with the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

in London to train master tailors through a 3-year program (the partnership ended in 2019). In 2006, Angeloni was replaced by three joint CEOs: Antonella de Simone, Andrea Perrone, and Antonio Bianchini. In June 2007, Angeloni and his wife sold their 17% share in the company. In 2009, Brioni was hit by the economic crisis but refused to relocate its manufacturing outside of Italy. Instead, the brand released new categories of products with new fabrics and introduced a men's scent, the brand's first foray into fragrances since the release of the 1958 Good Luck fragrance. Andrea Perrone took over as CEO and appointed Alessandro Dell'Acqua as creative director of womenswear in May 2010, but the brand discontinued its women's line the following year.

Kering acquisition

In 2011, Brioni was acquired by the French luxury group PPR (renamed

in 2013). For the past decade, the brand had been struggling to redefine itself, the influence of streetwear and casual office wear was driving the younger clientele away from the traditional suits tailored by Brioni. Francesco Pesci, an employee of the company since 1994, acted as CEO of Brioni during the transition. In July 2012, Brendan Mullane was appointed creative director of Brioni.Lauren Milligan, vogue.co.u
Brioni's Brit
9 July 2012 Mulllane experimented with silk, hand-painted fabrics, and kimono-belted suits in his collections. Brioni launched its first

fragrance An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance, flavoring or flavor, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficien ...

in collaboration with Firmenich in 2014. In November 2014, Gianluca Flore took over as CEO of the brand. In March 2016, Justin O’Shea was appointed creative director of Brioni. O'Shea looked for a reinvention of the brand by appealing to new customers, featuring stronger shoulders, smaller waist and longer jackets. On March 23, 2016, luxury conglomerate

announced that it had appointed Justin O’Shea, a heavily

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

and street-style enthusiast, as creative director.Marc Bain
Lovers of Brioni suits shouldn’t worry that a heavily tattooed Australian is the brand’s new creative head
qz.com March 23, 2016 O’Shea was formerly the fashion director of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) refers to commercial activities including the electronic buying or selling products and services which are conducted on online platforms or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile co ...

site MyTheresa. O’Shea featured the four members of

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

dressed in Brioni

tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

s in his first ad campaign with the brand. The remake of Brioni's logo under O'Shea has been compared to the

Fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. It is designed such that the beginnings and ends of the individual strokes that make up each letter will be clearly vis ...

typeface. O'Shea showed his first collection for the house on 4 July 2016. After 6 months, Brioni announced that O'Shea would leave the brand.Justin O'Shea Exits Brioni
TAMARA ABRAHAM, Business of Fashion, October 4, 2016 Brioni reported that its Autumn/Winter 2017 collection would be presented to buyers in the

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

showroom from mid-November 2016 but would not have a corresponding runway show. In March 2017, Fabrizio Malverdi became the new CEO of Brioni, and appointed Nina-Maria Nitsche as creative director in June 2017,Brioni Names Nina-Maria Nitsche as Creative Director
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Elizabeth Paton, 2017/06/16 who was credited for revitalizing Brioni. The Primo suit was introduced, a contemporary interpretation of the brand's tailoring. In July 2018, Nina-Maria Nitsche exited Brioni, her style being described as elegant yet "too safe". In October 2018, Austrian designer Norbert Stumpfl was appointed Design Director of Brioni. Stumpfl introduced a more tonal suit design with enhanced sumptuous fabrics. Cashmere, silk, vicuna and suede prevailed to create a lighter informal feel to the house's iconic yet muted suit designs. In 2019, Mehdi Benabadji was appointed CEO of Brioni. The brand entered into a worldwide perfume licensing agreement with Lalique Group that runs through the end of 2024. After a few seasons where a handful of looks were presented alongside the signature men’s shows, Brioni introduced the brand’s first womenswear collection in 2024. In 2025, the brand partnered with Mr Porter on a 25-piece capsule collection.

Operations

In 2020, Brioni had 1,350 employees, including 1,000 tailors in production facilities in the towns of Penne, Montebello di Bertona and Civitella Casanova, among others. Since 1985, Brioni has operated the tailoring school Scuola di Alta Sartoria located near its factory in Penne. A

made-to-measure Made-to-measure (MTM) typically refers to custom clothing that is cut and sewn using a standard-sized base pattern. Suit (clothing), Suits and sport coats are the most common garments made-to-measure. The fit of a made-to-measure garment is expec ...

suit requires 200 tailors and quality control specialists before shipment. A Brioni jacket requires 12,000 stitches, only 17% of which are visible externally. Garments are pressed and steamed around 80 times to lengthen the fabric. In 2020, Brioni operated 30 stores.

Governance

;CEOs * 1990–2006: Umberto Angeloni * 2006–2009: Antonella de Simone, Andrea Perrone, Antonio Bianchini * 2009–2010: Andrea Perrone * 2010–2014: Francesco Pesci * 2014–2017: Gianluca Flore * 2017–2019: Fabrizio Malverdi * 2019–present: Mehdi Benabadji ;Creative designers * 2013–2016: Brendan Mullane * 2016: Justin O’Shea * 2017–2018: Nina-Maria Nitsche * 2018–present: Norbert Stumpfl

Brioni has hired movie stars for its advertising campaigns including: Samuel L. Jackson and Sir

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

in 2017,

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

and

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...

in 2018,

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Independent Spirit Awards alongside nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, ...

in 2019,

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

in 2020,

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in An ...

in 2022, and

Glen Powell Glen Thomas Powell Jr. (born October 21, 1988) is an American actor and screenwriter. He began his career with small roles on television and in films such as '' Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' (2003) and '' Fast Food Nation'' (2006). Powell acted in t ...

in 2023. For the campaigns, the brand has worked with photographers like Mikael Jansson.

In popular culture

In the 2000 movie ''

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...

'', Patrick Bateman (played by

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. List of awards and nominations received by C ...

) wears a Brioni tie. In the 2008

Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

' film ''

Burn After Reading ''Burn After Reading'' is a 2008 black comedy film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows a recently jobless CIA analyst, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), whose misplaced memoirs are found by a pair of dimwitted ...

'',

's character tries to convince a co-worker that she should consider dating a guy based on the belief that he is wearing a Brioni suit. In the pilot episode of ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...

'', Alicia Florrick's boss comments that her colleague Cary Agos is wearing Brioni. Brioni dressed

in all his

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

movies from ''

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...

'' (1995) on, and

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. His accolades include two National Board of Review Awards, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards. ...

in '' Casino Royale'' (2006). It also supplied

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

with suits for his TV show '' The Apprentice''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brioni (Fashion) Clothing brands of Italy High fashion brands Italian suit makers Manufacturing companies based in Rome Clothing companies established in 1945 Design companies established in 1945 Italian companies established in 1945 Kering brands