Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli founded his cashmere business in 1978. He came from a farming family in Castel Rigone, in Umbria, and left engineering studies before starting the company. His first product idea was specific: women’s cashmere sweaters in colors that would appeal to a younger, contemporary customer, while keeping the quality and handwork associated with Italian production. In his own account of the early business, Cucinelli describes buying a small supply of yarn on credit and persuading a specialist to dye six sweaters in different colors. He also describes seeking customers who paid on time, including retailers in Germany. These were practical concerns for a new maker with little money: a clear product, skilled suppliers and cash from reliable customers. Solomeo became the setting for the company’s growth. Cucinelli moved there in 1982 and bought its ruined castle in 1985. He later reused an existing factory in the valley as production needs grew. His account links the workplace to the village around it, and describes regular staff meetings, attention to lunch breaks and pay, and limits on the working day. These are his stated practices and aims, rather than an independent audit of employment conditions. The company listed on the Milan Stock Exchange in 2012. A school for contemporary craft followed in Solomeo in 2013. Cucinelli’s 2018 autobiography, The Dream of Solomeo, explains the life experiences and ideas behind what he calls humanistic capitalism: seeking profit while respecting the dignity of the people who earn it. His record gives founders concrete questions about product focus, customer payments, the preservation of skills and the responsibilities that come with a company’s place in a community.