# Brunello Cucinelli ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1978 | | Origin | Italy | | Headquarters | Solomeo (hamlet outside Perugia, Umbria) | | Owner | Foro delle Arti S.r.l. | | Status | Active | | Manufacturing | Italy, Umbria (Italy) | | Distribution | Multi-channel | | Website | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/ | Brunello Cucinelli is an Italian luxury fashion company, founded in 1978 by the entrepreneur of the same name and built on women's knitwear in coloured cashmere [13]. It is based in Solomeo, a small medieval hamlet on the outskirts of Perugia in Umbria, which the founder bought and restored in the 1980s and which has since become both the company's headquarters and the backdrop to much of its public identity. The business is listed on the Italian stock exchange and remains controlled by its founder through a family holding company. For most of its history Brunello Cucinelli has been a clothing house rather than a beauty brand. Its entry into beauty came in 2023, when it launched its first two perfumes, developed and distributed under licence by the Italian fragrance company EuroItalia [15]. A larger collection, Incanti Poetici, followed, and the fragrance line has continued to grow since. The company is active. ## Origin & founders Brunello Cucinelli grew up in Castel Rigone, a village in Umbria, in a farming family of thirteen. On the company's corporate website he describes a childhood spent in a rustic farmhouse surrounded by fields, orchards and woods, where the family worked the land as sharecroppers. He recalls that his grandfather Fiorino and his uncle Tonino settled accounts with the landowner each year around Christmas, and that the first bale of wheat from the harvest was given to the community at his grandfather's request. He presents that habit as his first lesson in what he calls the balance between profit and giving back, an idea that later became central to how the company describes itself. As a teenager he studied to become a building surveyor. The decision that shaped his career came later. In his own account, he made up his mind at the age of 25 to make coloured cashmere sweaters, only for women and in a contemporary style [4]. He started small, persuading a dyer to colour six women's cashmere sweaters in six different shades. At the time, coloured cashmere for women was unusual, and that focus defined the young company's first collections. The founder's family is closely tied to the business. His wife is Federica Cucinelli, and their daughters Camilla and Carolina both joined the company. On the corporate site, Brunello Cucinelli writes that he is pleased his daughters chose to work in the firm, partly because the family lives in the village where the company is based, and that he sees them as future guardians of its corporate culture. ## History & milestones The company's story is tied to a single place. In 1985 Brunello Cucinelli acquired the 14th-century castle of Solomeo, and after a two-year restoration the headquarters moved into it in 1987. As the business grew, its main offices were relocated in 2001 to redeveloped factory buildings in the valley below the hamlet, while the restoration of Solomeo itself continued. The founder's interest in what he calls a new humanism appeared early in the company's communication. A May 1996 advertising image carried the caption "We need a new Humanism", a phrase that anticipated the philosophy the company would later set out in more detail. In 2012 Brunello Cucinelli was listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana. The following years brought a series of projects in and around Solomeo. In 2013 the company established the School of Style and High Craftsmanship in the hamlet, with the stated aim of rediscovering and passing on traditional crafts to younger generations. Its courses cover pattern making and women's tailoring, cutting and men's tailoring, mending and linking, as well as horticulture, gardening and masonry. A Park of Beauty was inaugurated in Solomeo in 2014. The company opened its own e-commerce website in January 2017. During the Covid-19 store closures of 2020, it ran an initiative called "Brunello Cucinelli for Humanity", through which, according to the company, unsold garments worth about 32 million euros were donated [8]. In 2022 it signed a licensing agreement with EssilorLuxottica for eyewear, extending its name into a new product category a year before the first fragrances appeared. By 2023 the company had joined the FTSE MIB stock index and reported sales of 1.14 billion euros, an increase of 24 percent on the previous year. On 4 December 2025, the documentary "Brunello: the Gracious Visionary", directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, had its world premiere at Cinecittà in Rome. ## Ownership Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A. is a publicly listed company, but its founder retains control through the holding company Foro delle Arti S.r.l., formerly known as Fedone S.r.l. [13]. The company is not part of a larger group. Its acquisitions have focused on securing parts of its own supply chain rather than on buying other brands. In 2022 it bought a 43 percent stake in the cashmere supplier Cariaggi Lanificio for €15.05 million, investing alongside Chanel [13]. In 2024 it acquired Sartoria Eugubina, a sewing workshop. The fragrances are a licensed business. EuroItalia, which specialises in creating and distributing perfumes, develops and distributes them under the Brunello Cucinelli name. ## Philosophy & positioning Brunello Cucinelli describes its business model as "Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability" [8]. In the company's words, the founder dreamed of a business that would make profits ethically and with dignity, without causing suffering to people or offence to the natural world, or at least as little as possible. The model, as the company presents it, rests on respect for the moral and economic dignity of workers and on a balance between profit and giving back to the community. The founder links these ideas directly to his farming upbringing and to the restoration of Solomeo. The company sets out its principles in a list of rules. Among them are "We love and respect Mother Earth", "We do not use more resources than it is necessary or natural" and a commitment to act as guardians of creation. Another rule states that the company supports fair profitability and harmony between profit and giving back to the community. Craftsmanship sits at the centre of the company's self-image. Brunello Cucinelli says it finds its true meaning in manual skills, craftsmanship and the exclusivity of its collections, and it describes its products as a blend of industry and craft designed to last. Advanced technology, in the company's description, is always a tool and never an end in itself. According to Wikipedia, production takes place entirely in Italy, primarily in Umbria, and the manufacturing process retains an artisanal component. Where EuroItalia produces the fragrances is not publicly stated. Wikipedia associates the brand with the "quiet luxury" trend in fashion. ## Products & innovation ### Fashion roots The company's core product remains coloured cashmere knitwear, the category on which it was founded. Over time it has grown into a broader clothing house, and Cosmetics Business described it in 2023 as a brand creating goods such as clothes and candles. A 2008 photograph on the corporate site shows the founder with what the company calls one of his innovations, a gray tuxedo. ### First fragrances The move into beauty was announced in March 2023. Brunello Cucinelli and EuroItalia developed two perfumes, Brunello Cucinelli pour Femme and Brunello Cucinelli pour Homme, both inspired by the Umbrian region where the company is based [15]. W Magazine, writing in November 2023, described the debut scents as drawing on Umbria and Solomeo. The women's fragrance was created by master perfumer Daphné Bugey of Firmenich. It combines sweet chestnut, bergamot, mandarin and orange blossom with pink pepper and woods. The men's fragrance, by the French perfumer Olivier Cresp, is built around cypress balanced by juniper, with angelica, black pepper, clary sage and ginger. The models Arizona Muse and James Turlington were announced as the faces of the women's and men's scents respectively. The launch carried a personal story. In a statement reported by FashionUnited, Brunello Cucinelli said that when a very dear friend of his, a producer of aromatic essences, died some years earlier, he had dreamed of one day dedicating a new product to his memory, and that the perfumes fulfilled that wish [16]. He compared a fragrance used in moderation to a caress. Giovanni Sgariboldi, founder and president of EuroItalia, said his company shared Brunello Cucinelli's insistence on quality and detail. According to the brand, the perfumes were meant to act as ambassadors of the craft values of its fashion house. Sources differ on when the fragrance business began. Wikipedia and the 2023 trade press, including Cosmetics Business and FashionUnited, date the first launch to 2023. The Impression, a fashion publication, instead states that the first fragrance line launched in 2022 [18]. The same article reports that the collaboration with EuroItalia began in 2020. This article follows the 2023 date, which is supported by the dated announcements. ### Incanti Poetici The second step was Incanti Poetici, Italian for "Poetic Enchantments". The brand describes it on its own shop as a collection of six perfumes that transform refined notes into "invisible verses" [2]. According to The Impression, each of the six was composed by a different perfumer, and the scents are gender-neutral; CEW UK likewise describes the collection as genderless and built around natural materials. The Impression reported that the line would debut in Italy, with a global launch planned for 2025, and named Saks Fifth Avenue and Harrods among the retailers alongside selected Brunello Cucinelli stores. The six original perfumes are: - **Vie Eteree**, with bergamot, cedar, basil and cardamom; by Benoist Lapouza, according to press reports. - **Soffio Zenit**, with fig, lavender, rosemary and labdanum, a balsamic resin; by Florian Gallo. - **Sogno Notturno**, built on cumin and osmanthus; by Quentin Bisch. - **Brezza Gentile**, with bitter orange, patchouli and amber; by Daphné Bugey, who also created pour Femme. - **Ombra Lirica**, with oud and guaiac wood; by Alberto Morillas. - **Vento Ardente**, a leather scent spiced with saffron; by Jordi Fernandez. The brand's own descriptions of the perfumes are written in lyrical language, presenting each one as an emotional journey and the collection as "an ode to beauty". The collection has since grown, at least in some markets. CEW UK reported in December 2025 that three further fragrances, Segreto, Silenzio and Ricordo, would be unveiled on 1 December 2025 as part of Incanti Poetici, as a world exclusive at Harrods until 31 January 2026 [17]. Segreto, by Alberto Morillas, was described as inspired by a sunlit Italian orange grove, with notes of Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot, orange blossom, neroli, sandalwood and benzoin. Silenzio was created by Jordi Fernández. Harrods marked the launch with a window display and an in-store installation. As of December 2025, a global release of the three additions was planned for March 2026. The size of the collection therefore depends on the source. As of November 2026, the brand's Swiss online shop still describes Incanti Poetici as "a collection of six perfumes" and lists only the original six. CEW UK counts the three later scents as part of the same collection, which would bring it to nine. It is not publicly clear whether the shop text was simply never updated or whether the additions are not sold in that market. No signature ingredient runs across the line; the notes vary from perfume to perfume. No third-party certifications are documented for the fragrances. ## Sustainability The company's most concrete environmental project is the Himalayan Regenerative Fashion Living Lab, which began in 2022 in Ladakh, India, together with the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance [10]. The company presents it as part of its wider commitment to using no more resources than necessary, in line with its rules. Its social commitments, including the 2020 donation of unsold garments and the craft school in Solomeo, are framed by the company as expressions of the same humanistic philosophy. ## Recognition The honours associated with Brunello Cucinelli have gone to the founder personally and come from fashion, design and civic life rather than from the beauty industry. In 2010 he was named Cavaliere del Lavoro, an Italian order of merit for industry, and received an honorary degree in philosophy and the ethics of human relations from the University of Perugia. That same year The New Yorker published a profile of him titled "The Prince of Solomeo". He received the Global Economy Prize from the Kiel Institute in 2017 and the Italian title Cavaliere di Gran Croce in 2018. His fashion awards include British GQ Designer of the Year in 2021, the Compasso d'Oro Career Award in 2022, the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion and GQ China Designer of the Year in 2023, and the WWD John B. Fairchild Honor in 2024. In 2025 the British Fashion Council gave him its Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards [6]. Several universities in Italy have also given him honorary doctorates. No awards specific to the fragrances are documented. ## Current status Brunello Cucinelli is active. The company remains listed on the Italian stock exchange and controlled by its founder, with its headquarters in Solomeo. Its fragrance business with EuroItalia continued to expand through 2025, when the three new Incanti Poetici scents launched at Harrods, and in 2026 the brand's own online shop was selling the original six perfumes of the collection. The corporate website lists a 2026 "Letter to Peace" among its recent material. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1978 | Company founded by Brunello Cucinelli, focusing on women's knitwear in coloured cashmere | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 1985 | Acquired the 14th-century castle of Solomeo near Perugia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 1987 | Headquarters moved to the restored Solomeo castle | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 1996 | May 1996 advertising image with the caption 'We need a new Humanism' | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/company/the-origins-of-the-company.html | | 2001 | Main offices relocated to redeveloped factories in the valley below Solomeo | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 2012 | Listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Borsa Italiana) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 2013 | School of Style and High Craftsmanship established in Solomeo | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/company/the-value-of-italian-craftsmanship.html | | 2014 | Park of Beauty inaugurated in Solomeo | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 2017 | E-commerce website launched (January 2017) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 2020 | 'Brunello Cucinelli for Humanity': unsold garments worth about 32 million euros donated during the Covid-19 store closures | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/humanistic-capitalism-and-human-sustainability.html | | 2022 | Licensing agreement with EssilorLuxottica for luxury eyewear | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 2022 | Himalayan Regenerative Fashion Living Lab begins in Ladakh with the Sustainable Markets Initiative and Circular Bioeconomy Alliance | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/company/himalayan-regenerative-fashion-living-lab.html | | 2022 | Bought a 43% stake in cashmere supplier Cariaggi Lanificio for €15.05 million (alongside Chanel) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) | | 2023 | First fragrances, Brunello Cucinelli pour Femme and pour Homme, launched with licensee EuroItalia (faces: Arizona Muse and James Turlington) | https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/fashion-brand-brunello-cucinelli-breaks-into-beauty-with-fragrance-launch-207895 | ## Awards {#belagg-awards} | Year | Awards | Category | Source | |---|---|---|---| | 2010 | Cavaliere del Lavoro (Knight of Industry) | Founder honour (Italian Republic), not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2010 | Honorary degree in Philosophy and Ethics of Human Relations, University of Perugia | Founder honour, not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2017 | Global Economy Prize, Kiel Institute | Founder honour, not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2018 | Cavaliere di Gran Croce al Merito della Repubblica Italiana | Founder honour, not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2018 | Honorary PhD in Philosophy, University of Messina | Founder honour, not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2021 | British GQ Designer of the Year | Fashion (founder) | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2022 | Compasso d'Oro Career Award (XXVII edition) | Design (founder) | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2022 | Honorary Doctorate in Management, Banking and Commodity Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome | Founder honour, not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2023 | Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion | Fashion (founder) | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2023 | GQ China Designer of the Year 2023 | Fashion (founder) | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2024 | WWD John B. Fairchild Honor | Fashion (founder) | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2025 | British Fashion Council Outstanding Achievement Award (British Fashion Awards 2025) | Fashion (founder) | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | | 2025 | Honorary Doctorate in Architecture, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli' | Founder honour, not beauty | https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **Brunello Cucinelli pour Femme (eau de parfum, 2023)** — The women’s fragrance, created by master perfumer Daphné Bugey offers up sweet chestnut, bergamot, mandarin, and orange blossom, as well as pink pepper and prestige woods. — https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/brunello-cucinelli-to-launch-fragrances-with-euroitalia/2023040468790 - **Brunello Cucinelli pour Homme (2023)** — While the men’s fragrance, created by French master perfumer Olivier Cresp, includes the essence of cypress balanced by spicy juniper and other refined ingredients such as angelica, black pepper, clary sage and ginger. — https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/brunello-cucinelli-to-launch-fragrances-with-euroitalia/2023040468790 - **Incanti Poetici (collection of six perfumes, 100 ml: Brezza Gentile, Ombra Lirica, Vie Eteree, Soffio Zenit, Sogno Notturno, Vento Ardente; gender-neutral per press)** — From the evocative power of words comes Incanti Poetici, a collection of six perfumes that transform refined notes into invisible verses. — https://shop.brunellocucinelli.com/en-ch/incanti-poetici.html - **Incanti Poetici additions: Segreto, Silenzio, Ricordo (Harrods exclusive from December 2025)** — 1 December 2025, Brunello Cucinelli will unveil three new fragrances—Segreto, Silenzio, and Ricordo—as part of the Incanti Poetici collection. — https://cewuk.co.uk/brunello-cucinelli-x-harrods-the-incanti-poetici-fragrances/ - **Coloured cashmere knitwear (core fashion product, not beauty)** — Brunello Cucinelli founded the company in 1978, focusing on artisanal women's knitwear in coloured cashmere—unusual at the time. — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **The New Yorker** (2010) — Profile titled 'The Prince of Solomeo' (listed on the brand's own site) — https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html - **Cosmetics Business** (2023) — 'Fashion brand Brunello Cucinelli breaks into beauty with fragrance launch' (30 March 2023): pour Femme by Daphné Bugey (Firmenich) and pour Homme by Olivier Cresp, developed with EuroItalia — https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/fashion-brand-brunello-cucinelli-breaks-into-beauty-with-fragrance-launch-207895 - **FashionUnited** (2023) — 'Brunello Cucinelli to launch fragrances with EuroItalia': first foray into beauty, founder statement on dedicating a product to a late friend who produced aromatic essences — https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/brunello-cucinelli-to-launch-fragrances-with-euroitalia/2023040468790 - **W Magazine** (2023) — 'Brunello Cucinelli’s Debut Fragrances Will Transport You To Italy' (21 November 2023): scents inspired by Umbria and Solomeo — https://www.wmagazine.com/beauty/brunello-cucinelli-debuts-fragrances - **The Impression** — 'Brunello Cucinelli Expands Its Fragrance Lineup': six gender-neutral Incanti Poetici scents with EuroItalia; collaboration began in 2020 — https://theimpression.com/brunello-cucinelli-expands-its-fragrance-lineup/ - **CEW UK** (2025) — 'Brunello Cucinelli x Harrods: The Incanti Poetici Fragrances' (4 December 2025): Segreto, Silenzio, Ricordo, £255 / 100 ml EDP — https://cewuk.co.uk/brunello-cucinelli-x-harrods-the-incanti-poetici-fragrances/ ## Availability in the Nordics Where the brand is sold according to Glowjakt's price data, per market. | Market | products | in stock | stores | Price range | |---|---|---|---|---| | Sweden | 15 | 11 | 1 | 1,079 SEK – 3,365 SEK | | Norway | 15 | 11 | 1 | 1,079 NOK – 3,365 NOK | | Denmark | 15 | 11 | 1 | 739 DKK – 2,305 DKK | ## Sources 2. (T1) https://shop.brunellocucinelli.com/en-ch/incanti-poetici.html 4. (T2) https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/company/the-origins-of-the-company.html 6. (T2) https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/my-life.html 8. (T2) https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/humanistic-capitalism-and-human-sustainability.html 10. (T2) https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/company/himalayan-regenerative-fashion-living-lab.html 13. (T3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunello_Cucinelli_(brand) 15. (T3) https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/fashion-brand-brunello-cucinelli-breaks-into-beauty-with-fragrance-launch-207895 16. (T3) https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/brunello-cucinelli-to-launch-fragrances-with-euroitalia/2023040468790 17. (T3) https://cewuk.co.uk/brunello-cucinelli-x-harrods-the-incanti-poetici-fragrances/ 18. (T3) https://theimpression.com/brunello-cucinelli-expands-its-fragrance-lineup/ --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-11-03 Please cite with a link to the article URL.