Equally, he has publicly stated that "if any person in his company offends someone, you are fired on the spot.” Though the company saw revenues drop during the pandemic (revenues are again rising), not one of his 200 global team members was made redundant. This is quite an important thing to
note, and quite a commitment, given that 52 percent of each garment is hand made. Moreover, during the height of the pandemic, the company started a new initiative, called “Brunello Cucinelli for Humanity,” where it sent out their unsold luxury goods to their contractors and told them to pass them on to the needy.
The Hamlet of Solomeo
Solomeo was the home of Frederica, Brunello’s
wife. When he met her and they became engaged, she had been running a small clothing shop in the hamlet. It was there he came upon the idea of starting a knitwear business. He realized it would be a challenge, as Perugia was one of the main centers for manufacturing with 13,000 people working in the trade.
All the same, Brunello purchased his first building in the hamlet – a 14th century castle – in 1985. That act started a process of restore and rebuild, which continues to this day. Restoring the castle, Cucinelli was able to locate his original studios in the building until moving into new facilities at the foot of the compound in 2000 (the building of another factory, to be completed in 2024, was just announced).
The creation of craft schools evidences a deep commitment to the traditions and craft upon which the company is grounded. The School of Arts and Crafts was established to rediscover and enhance old crafts, passing them down through generations. The curriculum covers subjects such as Pattern Making and Women’s Tailoring, Cutting and Men’s Tailoring, Mending
and Linking, Horticulture, Gardening and Masonry. Crafts are taught in a practical
manner under the guide of a master.
The point is to view the most advanced technology always as a tool, never as an end. Tools only serve craftsmanship, which has absolute priority. As Nicola Pisello, our guide around the compound for the day, told us: “We always start from the material, with innovation and new products evolving therefrom.”
New buildings in Solomeo include Forum of the Art, the Neohumanistic Aurelian Library, the Gymnasium, the Amphitheatre, and the Theatre. The creation of the library and the theater evidence a deep commitment to the intellectual and moral growth of hamlet members. Any member of the community has access to the library, and s/he can take and return any book without a formal process of checking the book out. Tickets for theater performances, many of which involve highly regarded actors/actresses in well-known plays and roles, are available to
all members of the community on a limited but first-come first-serve basis solely because of seat availability in the small theatre. More recent additions to the community involve the creation of sports fields, a vineyard, and monument to human dignity – all placed, again, in the valley at the base of the hamlet.
The ongoing commitment to moving heritage, traditions, and practices forward can be seen throughout the Cucinelli compound. Everywhere one looks there are busts of
I’d rather talk about people than profit, spirituality than budget.
- Brunello Cucinelli
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