Brunello Cucinelli (; born 3 September 1953 in

Castel Rigone Castel Rigone is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Passignano sul Trasimeno, Umbria, central Italy. As of 2001, it had 406 inhabitants, and is located 12 km from Passignano. According to tradition, the name derives from that ...

) is an

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luxury Luxury may refer to: * Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge pu ...

creative director and the chief executive of his eponymous

made in Italy Made in Italy is a merchandise mark indicating that a product is all planned, manufactured and packed in Italy, especially concerning the design, fashion, food, manufacturing, craftsmanship, and engineering industries. History Made in Italy ...

brand,

Brunello Cucinelli Brunello Cucinelli (; born 3 September 1953 in Castel Rigone) is an Italian luxury creative director and the chief executive of his eponymous made in Italy brand, Brunello Cucinelli. He donates 20% of his profits through the Brunello Cucine ...

. He donates 20% of his profits through the Brunello Cucinelli Foundation. He has been described as a "philosopher-designer".

Early life and education

Cucinelli grew up in a rural agricultural community outside of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

. His childhood home had no electricity or running water. Cucinelli dropped out of

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

school at age 24, choosing instead to read philosophical texts on his own.

Career

Cucinelli's first product was

cashmere wool Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. It has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years. Cashmere is closely associate ...

sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jumper (British English and Australian English), ...

s in bright colors. In 1977 he started making dyed cashmere in a small workshop. He founded Brunello Cucinelli SpA in 1978 with the

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equivalent of about $550; after the

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of Brunello Cucinelli SpA his personal

net worth Net worth is the value of all the non-financial and financial assets owned by an individual or institution minus the value of all its outstanding liabilities. Since financial assets minus outstanding liabilities equal net financial assets, net ...

exceeded $1 billion. In June of 2021, due to the ownership of 50.05% of the shares of Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A., Brunello had a personal net worth of approximately 2.2 billion dollars.

Architecture

Cucinelli believes that architecture "needs to symbolize higher meanings besides serving a material purpose." He collaborated on the re-design and expansion of Solomeo with Italian architect Massimo de Vico. In 2021, Cucinelli announced that he would again be partnering with de Vico to transform one of Solomeo's 18th-century villas into a "Universal Library" that will carry books on philosophy, architecture, literature, poetry and craftsmanship.

Philanthropy

In 2018, Cucinelli raised €100 million for charity by selling 6% of his shares. His company gives about 20% of the profits to charity, with which he restored many works of art throughout

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, and he bought many lands around Solomeo, the town where he lives and where his company is based.

Awards and honors

*Leonardo Prize * Honorary degree in philosophy and human relationships ethics from

University of Perugia University of Perugia (Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. Th ...

* ''Cavaliere del lavoro'' – Italian

Order of Merit for Labour The Order of Merit for Labour ( it, Ordine al Merito del Lavoro) is an Italian order of chivalry that was founded in 1923 by King Vittorio Emanuele III. It is awarded to those "who have been singularly meritorious" in agriculture, industry and ...

in 2010 * Premio Guido Carli, 2011 *

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Uomo prize *Fashion Group International, Fashion Star Honoree Award, October 2014 *Global Economy Prize for “Honorable Merchant” from the

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LAURA RYSMAN
How to Host a Relaxed Dinner Party Like an Italian
''

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'' 2017/06/15 *America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2019

Personal life

Cucinelli is married to his hometown sweetheart Federica, and the couple have two daughters: Camilla and Carolina.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cucinelli, Brunello 1953 births Living people People from the Province of Perugia Italian fashion designers Italian philanthropists Italian businesspeople in fashion Brunello Cucinelli Compasso d'Oro Award recipients