Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli: The Man Who Gave Cashmere Its Voice Back

It's no accident Brunello Cucinelli is called the "king of knitwear" — this Italian designer and entrepreneur essentially gave cashmere a second life. Cashmere sweaters and other knitwear have remained the core of the brand's range since it was founded, right up to today. The raw material — the undercoat of specific cashmere goats and vicuña — is sourced directly from Mongolia, Tibet, the Gobi Desert, and Latin America, with the founder personally traveling to buy raw materials at least twice a year. Headquarters and production sit in the heart of Italy, in the village of Solomeo in Umbria. Today it's one of the world's finest premium knitwear brands, available at the Domino online store.

Umbrian Knitwear You Recognize at a Glance

Cashmere was worn in Italy even before Brunello — his home region of Umbria had long been known for fine knitwear.

But back then this noble material was dyed mostly in dull grays, browns, and blacks, worn by respectable Italian gentlemen. Brunello did what no one had thought to do before — he added color. The first collection had just three shades; today the brand's palette exceeds 700 cashmere colors. Asked why knitwear specifically, Cucinelli himself said he wanted to create durable pieces that could be passed down — after all, few people are willing to throw away even an old cashmere sweater. His craftsmanship was recognized not only by connoisseurs of high-end fashion but by critics worldwide: in 2003 Cucinelli was named "the best knitwear creator of our time."

The price of Brunello Cucinelli clothing comes down to more than premium raw materials — the brand stands out for its attention to the smallest details. Cutting and roughly half of the sewing are done by hand. The brand creates its own original knitted fabrics blended with fur, leather, and metallic threads, producing pieces that are not only durable but remarkably light: the cashmere fiber is just 14.5 microns thick, while other brands typically work with 16–16.5 micron yarn. Production relies mostly on expensive natural materials — cashmere, cotton, leather, suede, linen, fur. Batches are deliberately small, matching the brand's response to customers' desire for individuality. Quality control gets special treatment too: according to Brunello Cucinelli's official site, every new model is first released as a trial batch, studied in detail at the brand's lab. Employees receive pieces from these trial batches as gifts and then write up a detailed report — on wearing comfort, washing durability, and how well the piece holds its original look. If flaws turn up in a model, it's sent back for rework.

The "Dream of Solomeo": How the Brand Was Born

Brunello Cucinelli grew up in a modest family in one of Italy's provinces, yet managed to turn his love of fashion into a successful business.

The first "collection" appeared in 1977 in an old knitwear mill of just 40 square meters and consisted of five sweater styles in bright cashmere. The first batch took about $500 and roughly 20 kg of wool, borrowed from friends — every piece sold, and Brunello personally carried them to a trade fair in South Tyrol. Within a year he'd bought a small cashmere mill, and in the 1980s he moved with his family to the Umbrian village of Solomeo, buying a 14th-century castle there. After restoration, in 1987, the castle became headquarters, design studio, and production workshops for Brunello Cucinelli all at once — and even made it onto the brand's logo. In Brunello's own words, beautiful things could only be born in an equally beautiful place: picturesque vineyards and olive groves, medieval streets with the sound of church bells, its own craft school — everything here still breathes Italian history today.

By the late 1980s, orders for cashmere sweaters were coming in not just from across Italy but from Germany and even the US. In 1994, the first men's sweater styles appeared in the Brunello Cucinelli catalog, and the brand's first boutique opened the same year. Within six years the company began producing full collections — jumpers, T-shirts, jackets, coats, suits. By 2000 Cucinelli had bought and renovated another factory near Solomeo.

The designer has a special bond with this town — it's where his wife is from. What's more, as part of the Project for Beauty, Cucinelli turned Solomeo's abandoned industrial zone into orchards and parks, built a stadium and staff canteen, a bakery, and a theater. He didn't just place production here — he created the conditions for a return to "real craftsmanship." The company is genuinely known for impeccable work organization: even in the warehouses, shelving never exceeds 150 cm so it doesn't block employees' view through the panoramic windows. Around 1,000 people now work at the brand's production site, more than a quarter of them local residents of Solomeo.

What to Choose from Brunello Cucinelli at Domino

Buying Brunello Cucinelli means experiencing Italian "quiet luxury" firsthand. New collections feature women's, men's, and children's clothing for every season, along with footwear, accessories, and home items. The brand traditionally releases styles in small batches to preserve its exclusive status.

Looking at Brunello Cucinelli's latest collections in Almaty, a few directions stand out as the designer's favorites. Best-sellers remain solid-color cashmere sweaters and jumpers with minimal or no decoration — while the brand favored bright colors before 2016, today the Brunello Cucinelli site showcases a wide palette of neutral pastel tones (2016 was in fact the year the brand's first black cashmere sweater appeared). Just as popular are oversized men's and women's cardigans with patterns or textured surfaces, cotton, linen, and blended-fabric trousers with soft pleats at the waist, classic jackets and blazers with a subtle sheen (it was the travel blazer in blended fabric that became wildly popular among Silicon Valley investors — The Wall Street Journal dubbed this style the "boardroom suit"), plus lightweight and insulated vests.

Brunello Cucinelli's luxury clothing tells a story of European elegance, refinement, and respect for tradition. Every piece is versatile and pairs easily with other items — Brunello himself has repeatedly declared his love for layered looks. Knitwear, just as it was a decade ago, remains the brand's favorite, though the collections also include other fabrics — from silk to genuine nappa leather.

You can buy genuine Brunello Cucinelli pieces in Kazakhstan at Domino, with delivery nationwide. The core product group is still long- and short-sleeve knit pullovers and jumpers, along with other wool pieces — from skirts to coats. In recent years the brand has also been growing its ski-wear line — the Mountain range includes down jackets, boots, trousers, and more.