Brioni is an Italian menswear luxury house based in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and specialised in sartorial ready-to-wear,

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

goods, shoes, eyewear and fragrance, and provides a tailor-made service (Bespoke). Brioni was founded in Rome in 1945. In 1952, the brand organised the first menswear runway show in the modern history of fashion. Brioni opened the tailoring school Scuola di Alta Sartoria in

Penne Penne () is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ''penna'' (meaning " feather" o ...

, Italia, in 1985. Brioni was acquired by the luxury group Kering in 2011. Mehdi Benabadji is the CEO of Brioni since December 2019, and Norbert Stumpfl the creative director since October 2018.

History

Peacock Revolution

The first Brioni store, a tailor menswear boutique, was established on Via Barberini 79 in Rome in 1945 by Nazareno Fonticoli and Gaetano Savini. The name Brioni is a reference to the Italian Brionian Islands (now part of Croatia), a vacation destination for European jet-setters in the early twentieth century. Brioni was the first tailor for menswear to use bold colors and lighter material, introducing new silhouettes using slimmer shapes with natural shoulders. In 1952, Brioni staged the first menswear fashion show in the modern history of fashion, inside the Sala Bianca at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, where the Peacock Revolution was introduced. Brioni also invented the trunk show, during which the collections were presented directly in stores, allowing customers to personalize the garments with the ''Su Misura'' service (made-to-measure). Brioni promoted the “total look”, manufacturing suits, hats, ties, shirts and shoes. In 1959, a production plant was opened in

Penne, Abruzzo Penne (, ; ''Pònne'' in the local dialect) is an Italian town in the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region, in mid-southern Italy. According to the last census in 2014 the population was 12,451. In 2012 Penne was selected as one of the "Most ...

, birth town of Nazareno Fonticoli. Called Brioni Roman Style, the state-of-the-art factory introduced the concept of Prêt Couture, or ready-to-wear Haute Couture that sealed the international rise of the brand. During the 1950s, Brioni organized fashion shows in 9 US cities which launched the distribution of the brand in the USA. Brioni raised interests from celebrities, heads of state and business leaders. American movie stars of the 1950s such as

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

wore Brioni suits in Hollywood, giving international exposure to the brand. In 1959, Brioni launched a production plant, the Brioni Roman Style in Penne, which introduced the concept of Prêt Couture that also precipitated the international rise of the brand.

Expansion

In 1985, the company opened a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ing school in

with the aim of transmitting to younger generations the specific Brioni sartorial method. The same year, Brioni opened a store in New-York's Fisher Building on 52nd Street. In 1990, Umberto Angeloni was appointed CEO of Brioni. He embarked the company in a diversification of its product lines, from sportswear to womenswear (Lady Brioni) and accessories. Between 1995 and 2001, the company's revenue grew threefold to 150 million dollars. In 2007, Brioni tied a partnership with the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

in London to train master tailors through a 3-year program (the partnership ended in 2019). In 2006, Angeloni was replaced by three joint CEOs: Antonella de Simone, Andrea Perrone, and Antonio Bianchini. In June 2007, Angeloni and his wife sold their 17% share in the company. In 2009, Brioni was hit by the economic crisis but refused to relocate its manufacturing outside of Italy. Instead, the brand released new categories of products with new fabrics and introduced a men’s scent, the brand’s first foray into fragrances since the release of the 1958 Good Luck fragrance. Andrea Perrone took over as CEO and appointed Alessandro Dell'Acqua as creative director of womenswear in May 2010, but the brand discontinued its women’s line the following year.

The New Brioni

In 2011, Brioni was acquired by the French luxury group PPR (renamed Kering in 2013). For the past decade, the brand had been struggling to redefine itself, the influence of streetwear and casual office wear was driving the younger clientele away from the traditional suits tailored by Brioni. Francesco Pesci, an employee of the company since 1994, acted as CEO of Brioni during the transition. In July 2012, Brendan Mullane was appointed creative director of Brioni. Mulllane experimented with silk, hand-painted fabrics, and kimono-belted suits in his collections. In 2014, the brand launched the Brioni Eau de Toilette. In November 2014, Gianluca Flore took over as CEO of the brand. In March 2016, Justin O’Shea was appointed creative director of Brioni. O'Shea looked for a reinvention of the brand by appealing to new customers, featuring stronger shoulders, smaller waist and longer jackets. After 6 months, O'Shea left Brioni. In March 2017, Fabrizio Malverdi became the new CEO of Brioni, and appointed Nina-Maria Nitsche as creative director in June 2017, who was credited for revitalizing Brioni. The Primo suit was introduced, a contemporary interpretation of the brand's tailoring. In July 2018, Nina-Maria Nitsche exited Brioni, her style being described as elegant yet “too safe”. In October 2018, the Austrian designer Norbert Stumpfl was appointed

Design Director A design director is a position usually found within the software development, web development, product design, advertising, Mass media, media, automotive or entertainment industry, entertainment industries, but may be useful in other product focus ...

of Brioni. Norbert Stumpfl introduced a more tonal suit design with enhanced sumptuous fabrics. Cashmere, silk, vicuna and suede prevailed to create a lighter informal feel to the house’s iconic yet muted suit designs. In 2019, Mehdi Benabadji was appointed CEO of Brioni.

Production

In 2020, Brioni operated 30 stores, and had 1,350 employees, including 1,000 tailors in production facilities. Since 1985, Brioni has operated the tailoring school Scuola di Alta Sartoria located near its factory in Penne, Italy. A

made-to-measure Made-to-measure (MTM) typically refers to custom clothing that is cut and sewn using a standard-sized base pattern. Suits and sport coats are the most common garments made-to-measure. The fit of a made-to-measure garment is expected to be superio ...

suit requires 200 tailors and quality control specialists before shipment. A Brioni!jacket requires 12,000 stitches, only 17% of which are visible externally. Garments are pressed and steamed around 80 times to lengthen the fabric.

Marketing

Brioni has hired movie stars for its advertising campaigns including: Samuel L. Jackson and Sir

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

in 2017, Harvey Keitel and

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...

in 2018,

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

in 2019,

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

in 2020.

Governance

;CEOs * 1990-2006: Umberto Angeloni * 2006-2009: Antonella de Simone, Andrea Perrone, Antonio Bianchini * 2009-2010: Andrea Perrone * 2010-2014: Francesco Pesci * 2014-2017: Gianluca Flore * 2017-2019: Fabrizio Malverdi * 2020-present: Mehdi Benabadji ;Creative designers * 2013-2016: Brendan Mullane * 2016: Justin O’Shea * 2017-2018: Nina-Maria Nitsche * 2018-present: Norbert Stumpfl

In popular culture

Brioni has dressed

in all his

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

movies since '' GoldenEye'' (1995), and

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

in '' Casino Royale'' (2006). In the 2000 movie ''

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of ''The Observer'' notes that while "some countr ...

'',

Patrick Bateman Patrick Bateman is a fictional character created by novelist Bret Easton Ellis. He is the villain protagonist and narrator of Ellis' 1991 novel ''American Psycho'' and is portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation.Guardian Unlim ...

(played by

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, includin ...

) wears a Brioni tie.Dress like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
''Apetogentleman.com'', 28 October 2015

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brioni (Fashion) Clothing brands of Italy High fashion brands Italian suit makers Luxury brands Manufacturing companies based in Rome Clothing companies established in 1945 Design companies established in 1945 Italian companies established in 1945 Kering brands