Brunello Cucinelli vs Loro Piana: Founding, Ownership and Signature Compared

Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana are both Italian cashmere houses, but they differ in age, ownership and signature. Brunello Cucinelli was founded in 1978 in Umbria and its founder holds about half the shares; Loro Piana dates to 1924 in Piedmont and has been majority owned by LVMH since 2013. Luxury Handbags stocks the Brunello Cucinelli edit, including its cashmere knitwear.

Brunello Cucinelli vs Loro Piana at a glance

The two names come up together because both are Italian and both are known for cashmere. Beyond that, the facts separate them clearly. This table keeps to what is on the record.

For more on the Brunello Cucinelli side, our profile of who Brunello Cucinelli is covers the founder and Solomeo, and our guide to Brunello Cucinelli cashmere explains the knitwear.

How did each house begin?

Loro Piana is the older of the two by more than half a century. It was founded in 1924 in Quarona, in Piedmont, by the Loro Piana family, and it is known for baby cashmere, vicuna and its own fabrics.

Brunello Cucinelli began in 1978, when its founder started making women’s knitwear in coloured cashmere. He was born in 1953 in Castel Rigone, above Lake Trasimeno in Umbria, to a farming family. In 1985 he bought the 14th-century castle in Solomeo, a hamlet outside Perugia, and moved the business there in 1987 after restoring it. The main offices moved into the valley below in 2001, and the Park of Beauty opened in 2014. He was made Cavaliere del Lavoro in 2010. Our guide to Italian luxury brands places both houses among their peers.

Who owns Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana?

This is the clearest difference. Brunello Cucinelli is a listed company: it joined Borsa Italiana in 2012 and the FTSE MIB in 2023, and the founder still holds about half the shares. Its 2024 revenue was 1.28 billion euros, with 3,101 employees. The founder describes his approach as humanistic capitalism.

Loro Piana is part of a group. LVMH took a majority stake of 80% in the company in 2013.

Signature: coloured cashmere and monili vs baby cashmere and vicuna

Loro Piana is known for its fibres, baby cashmere and vicuna among them, and for its own fabrics. Brunello Cucinelli’s signature is colour and detail, and its production is entirely in Italy, mostly in Umbria. The house began in coloured cashmere, and it adds monili, the fine chains of shiny metal beads sewn along lapels, cuffs, straps, belt loops and shoe edges. It also names its own yarns: Diamond yarn is the house’s cashmere and silk yarn with sparkle.

You can see all three ideas in the current Luxury Handbags edit:

• Coloured cashmere: the Cashmere sweater with monili in Oyster, in 100% cashmere with a line of beads.
• Diamond yarn: the Cashmere and silk Diamond yarn scarf in Mauve, 70% cashmere and 30% silk.
• Monili on leather: the Vachetta belt with monili in Black. Our Brunello Cucinelli belt guide covers the rest.
• Gemmae, the house’s sterling silver and hematite jewellery: the Sterling Silver wide choker in Silver. See our Brunello Cucinelli jewellery guide.

How wide is the Brunello Cucinelli range?

Brunello Cucinelli started with one product, women’s knitwear, and grew into a full house. Today the range covers womenswear, menswear, accessories, shoes and bags, with eyewear added in 2022 and fragrance in 2023. For a shopper, that breadth is practical. You can buy a cashmere turtleneck, a suede belt, a beanie and a pair of boots from one collection and know the colours were planned together.

At Luxury Handbags that means more than 600 women’s pieces across ready-to-wear, bags and shoes, plus a new delivery of scarves, hats, gloves, belts, small leather goods and Gemmae silver jewellery in the accessories edit. The Brunello Cucinelli gift guide is a quick way into it.

Which should you buy?

Choose by what you want from the piece. If the fibre itself is the point, and baby cashmere and vicuna are what you are after, that is the Loro Piana story. If you want cashmere in colour, a detail such as monili, and a wardrobe that runs from knitwear to belts, bags, shoes and silver jewellery in one palette, Brunello Cucinelli is the house to look at. Our is Brunello Cucinelli worth it verdict weighs the case in more detail.

For a wider field, see our rankings of the best cashmere brands and quiet luxury brands. If you want other names in the same register, Fabiana Filippi is also Umbrian and The Row is another Luxury Handbags favourite. Our guide to brands like Brunello Cucinelli goes wider.

What to buy from Brunello Cucinelli at Luxury Shoes

Luxury Handbags stocks Brunello Cucinelli, not Loro Piana. If this comparison has you leaning towards Brunello Cucinelli, these are the pieces I would start with.

• The Cashmere turtleneck sweater in Anthracite, the simplest expression of the house’s knitwear roots.
• The English rib cashmere cardigan in Butter, for colour. Our cardigans and sweaters guide has more shapes.
• The Cashmere scarf Lynx Print in Beige, 100% cashmere. Our scarf guide covers the full range.
• The Cashmere knit gloves with monili in Brown, with the signature beads at the cuff.
• The Small Top-Handle Essence bag in Ivory, a neutral bag for the whole palette.

Sizing follows the Italian scale, where an Italian 36 is a UK 4. Our Brunello Cucinelli size guide has the full conversion, and Luxury Handbags ships worldwide by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brunello Cucinelli better than Loro Piana?

Neither is simply better. Loro Piana is known for baby cashmere, vicuna and its own fabrics. Brunello Cucinelli is known for coloured cashmere knitwear, monili details and a wide range from knitwear to accessories. Choose by what you want from the piece.

Is Loro Piana older than Brunello Cucinelli?

Yes. Loro Piana was founded in 1924 in Quarona, Piedmont. Brunello Cucinelli was founded in 1978 and is based in Solomeo, Umbria.

Who owns Loro Piana?

LVMH took a majority stake of 80% in Loro Piana in 2013.

Who owns Brunello Cucinelli?

Brunello Cucinelli has been listed on Borsa Italiana since 2012 and joined the FTSE MIB in 2023. The founder, Brunello Cucinelli, holds about half the shares.

Does Luxury Handbags sell Loro Piana?

No. Luxury Handbags stocks Brunello Cucinelli women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, bags and shoes, but not Loro Piana.