Brunello Cucinelli



Spring has sprung and I can’t help but think of one of my favorite luxury designers, Brunello Cucinelli. This Italian designer not only has an eye for creating timeless pieces to add to your wardrobe, but a beautiful back story that serves as an inspiration.

Growing up in Umbria, his parents were farmers and eventually immigrated to the city in hopes of finding better paying jobs. Brunello’s father began to work at a factory, and unsurprisingly found the working conditions deplorable. Unfortunately decades later, this story is all too familiar in today’s fashion world. Growing up, Brunello decided that he was going to make a change, and that he did.

 Profitability is important but not at the top of his list – Brunello believes in the importance of his employee’s life quality, compensation and these following values:

1. Pays his factory workers above the industry average so that they don’t have to work several jobs to make ends meet.

2. Doesn’t believe in the inhumane hours that are often imposed on factory hours. He makes shorter hours feasible by increasing wages of his workers.

3. As a supporter of the arts and philosophy, a portion of the profits made with his designs are spent up keeping the factory, which is a historical hamlet tucked away in the Italian countryside decorated with frescoes and wooden beams. This love of the arts doesn’t stop at his factory but actually benefits the workers as he has created a tailoring school as well as a theater group for them.

4. Quality of clothing is unparalleled, with luxurious fabrics that have been carefully sourced. These pieces will last you a lifetime and can easily be dressed up or down depending on your lifestyle.

5. Brunello revolutionized the cashmere industry, introducing colorful dyes that he is now known for.

His pieces are on the pricier side, but you can rest assure that human rights is at the forefront of their metrics. Sure a fitted blouse or dress shirt might cost a little over $1,000 dollars, but you know there is no slave labor involved and that this masterpiece will last a lifetime unlike your Forever21 tank top that falls apart after 10 washes. According to Apparel Stats, Americans purchased 64 pieces of clothing per person in 2013. That adds up to thousands of dollars. In the era of fast fashion, what if consumers viewed clothing as an investment – invest in people, invest in well designed and well-made products, invest in yourself. I still remember how I felt when my grandmother gave me her custom made designer coat, one that she wore as a teenager. That type of investment is one of a lifetime and can be passed down from generation to generation.

Join me next week as I reveal yet another brand making a big impact!

 

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Every effort is made to verify the accuracy of these external resources; however, Diana Mao and Nomi Network cannot guarantee or control the content, usefulness, or appropriateness of these sites or that their products are 100% slave free.

 

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