Why Brunello Cucinelli Is Well Suited for a Trade War

Brunello Cucinelli, the Italian fashion designer and founder of the high-end clothing brand with his name, has a peculiar distaste for “quiet luxury.” The industry term, denoting an understated refinement, is often applied to his wallet-wrecking duds. “Am I quiet?” the 71-year-old billionaire asks, bounding out of his chair during a recent interview in his large, white office. He points to his burgundy herringbone blazer and tugs at his ivory corduroys. “When you wake up in the morning, do you really think, ‘Today I want to be quiet?’ ” He shakes his head. “No! You want to be chic. You want to be sought after. Quiet luxury does not exist.”

Cucinelli lives on a hill in Solomeo, a medieval village in Umbria. Since 1985 he’s based his now-3,000-employee company there, on a pristine campus in a green valley peppered with classical-looking statues. The median employee age is 37. While many luxury apparel brands have been struggling, Cucinelli has grown. Last year revenue was up 12%, hitting close to $1.4 billion. (Gucci’s, in contrast, fell by almost a quarter.) The public company has forecast 10% annual growth through 2026. In October, Cucinelli received Women’s Wear Daily’s prestigious John B. Fairchild Honor, a lifetime achievement award whose past recipients include Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.