Brunello Cucinelli values history and long-lasting products
Few luxury brands set up their headquarters in a heritage castle like Brunello Cucinelli. But for the founder, having his own Utopia is the core of his vision.
"My dream is to give dignity to people and have them working in humane conditions," said Cucinelli during his brief visit in Hong Kong this week.
He hosted cocktail events to meet VIPs yesterday and on Wednesday at the Cucinelli stores in Central's IFC Mall and Harbour City mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The former engineer started producing cashmere sweaters in 1978. Business took off almost instantly for his innovative use of colour and cutting that appeal to female customers. He's now often referred to as "the king of cashmere".
In 1985, he moved business to a 14th-century medieval castle in the rural hamlet of Solomeo, the hometown of his wife.
"During the 1960s, most young people left the village to work in the cities so the villages were almost deserted," said Cucinelli.
By moving his operation to the hamlet, he set out on a mission to restore the community as well.
"The idea was to rebuild the town and hopefully it could last for the next 1,000 years," he said.
The same philosophy could be applied to his choice of creating premium cashmere products. "I wanted to create something that would last. I can't imagine throwing away your cashmere sweater. I would expect it to last 20 or 30 years."
Cucinelli explained his philosophy of redeveloping the heritage town.
"I want to be a guardian of my hamlet, my theatre, for my company. A guardian is someone who thinks about the future; but an owner is afraid to lose something.
"As a guardian, I'm just here to secure it until the next generation takes over."
