Brunello Cucinelli’s Massimo Caronna Talks Quality, Creativity

The heart and soul of its founder is woven through the fabric of every design offered by Brunello Cucinelli, and it’s his passion for quality and creativity that has created a successful luxury lifestyle brand. “At the core, our brand is the vision of a very special individual — Brunello Cucinelli,” said Massimo Caronna, president of the company’s U.S. business. Caronna met the designer two decades ago when Cucinelli was just creating women’s cashmere sweaters, but quickly saw the “vision of what the brand could eventually become one day.” When attempting to build any brand, the most essential ingredient is product, he said. Starting with those sweaters in 30 colors in 1978, Cucinelli branched out into men’s wear in 1994, starting with sweaters and expanding into other categories, including sportswear, clothing, outerwear and accessories. Today, men’s wear represents 40 percent of overall sales, which last year were 355.8 million euros, or $420 million, with 85 percent of the men’s business coming from ready-to-wear and 15 percent from accessories, he said. While the offering has evolved, one thing has remained the same: offering product with a “casual, chic” taste level that is ageless and sophisticated. To accomplish this, Caronna said there are three key components: quality,

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