Brunello Cucinelli (; born 3 September 1953 in Castel Rigone) is an Italian luxury creative director and the executive chairman of his eponymous

made in Italy Made in Italy is a merchandise mark indicating that a product is all planned, manufactured and packed in Italy, especially concerning the Italian design, design, Italian fashion, fashion, Italian cuisine, food, manufacturing, craftsmanship, and ...

brand, Brunello Cucinelli. He donates 20% of his profits through the Brunello Cucinelli Foundation. He has been described as a "philosopher-designer".

Early life and education

Cucinelli grew up in a rural agricultural community outside of

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

. His childhood home had no electricity or running water. Cucinelli dropped out of

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

school at age 24, choosing instead to read philosophical texts on his own.

Career

Cucinelli's first product was

cashmere wool Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats, Changthangi, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. It has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years. Cashmere is closely ...

sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper (British English, Hiberno-English and Australian English),

s in bright colors. In 1977 he started making dyed cashmere in a small workshop. He founded Brunello Cucinelli SpA in 1978 with the

Italian lira The lira ( , ; : lire, , ) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was introduced by the Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different s ...

equivalent of about $550; after the

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

of Brunello Cucinelli SpA his personal

net worth Net worth is the value of all the non-financial and financial assets owned by an individual or institution minus the value of all its outstanding liabilities. Financial assets minus outstanding liabilities equal net financial assets, so net w ...

exceeded $1 billion. In June 2021, due to the ownership of 50.05% of the shares of his namesake company, Cucinelli had a personal net worth of approximately $2.2 billion.

Philanthropy

In 2018, Cucinelli raised €100 million for charity by selling 6% of his shares. His company gives about 20% of the profits to charity, with which he restored many works of art throughout

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

, and he bought many lands around Solomeo, the town where he lives and where his company is based.

Architecture

Cucinelli believes that architecture "needs to symbolize higher meanings besides serving a material purpose." He collaborated on the re-design and expansion of Solomeo with Italian architect Massimo de Vico. In 2021, Cucinelli announced that he would again be partnering with de Vico to transform one of Solomeo's 18th-century villas into a "Universal Library" that will carry books on philosophy, architecture, literature, poetry and craftsmanship.

Awards and honors

*Leonardo Prize * Honorary degree in philosophy and human relationships ethics from

University of Perugia The University of Perugia ( Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public university in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. The offi ...

* ''Cavaliere del lavoro'' – Italian

Order of Merit for Labour The Order of Merit for Labour () is an Italian order of chivalry that was founded in 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III. It is awarded to those "who have been singularly meritorious" in agriculture, industry and co ...

in 2010 * Premio Guido Carli, 2011 *

Pitti Immagine Pitti Immagine is a collection of fashion industry events in Italy. Pitti Immagine Uomo Pitti Uomo (in English, "Pitti Men"), is one of the world's most important platforms for men's clothing and accessory collections, and for launching new proje ...

Uomo prize *Fashion Group International, Fashion Star Honoree Award, October 2014 *Global Economy Prize for “Honorable Merchant” from the

Government of Germany The Federal Government (, ; abbr. BReg) is the chief Executive (government), executive body of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany and exercises executive power at the Federal level (Germany), federal level. It consists of the Chancellor ...

LAURA RYSMAN
How to Host a Relaxed Dinner Party Like an Italian
''

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 ...

'' 2017/06/15 *America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2019

Personal life

Cucinelli is married to his hometown sweetheart Federica, and the couple have two daughters: Camilla and Carolina.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cucinelli, Brunello 1953 births Living people People from the Province of Perugia Italian fashion designers Italian philanthropists Italian businesspeople in fashion Compasso d'Oro Award recipients