Rome, Via Barberini, 1945: Brioni tailoring, destined to become a point of reference for high class international men’s fashion, takes its inspiration from the love of elegance of Nazareno Fonticoli, the tailor from Penne, and the enterprising spirit of Gaetano Savini – a business man- from Umbria.
The fashion house takes its name from the Istrian Island frequented by the most exclusive European jetsetters in the first decades of the twentieth century. Its location in the international capital of Rome, its high profile clientele, increasing interest from Americans and the post-war boom brought an immediate stimulus to the fashion house.
Drawing upon the best craftsmanship in Abruzzo, Brioni emerged as a style model for the glamorous new continental look and between the 1950s and 1960s became the benchmark for the entertainment, institutional and business world in Italy and abroad. The modern men’s suit was enhanced with Brioni’s use of fabrics and unique colours, which also incorporated materials from women’s haute couture.
The integrity of the Brioni range was strengthened by its rejection of the superfluous whilst preserving its decorative beauty. During the Peacock Revolution in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the sophistication and harmony of its garments ensured that Brioni maintained its own distinctive positioning. Design made a name for itself as the new trend and Brioni was one step ahead in its interpretation of high fashion. Its ability to evolve and its acceptance of change, demonstrating in every collection an almost strict classical precision along with unique creativity, have ensured that the Roman atelier has survived throughout the decades, and enabled it to consolidate its leadership in new markets.
The totally handcrafted manufacturing output, the guarantee of uniqueness, excellence in design and service, highly personalised client relationships, often combined with the made-to-measure expertise, are the essential and successful principles of Brioni’s professionalism and they shape its work. The Luxury Institute of New York has named Brioni as the most prestigious men’s fashion luxury brand in America in 2011. The record has already been reached in 2007. The challenge for the present and the future is to remain faithful to its position of international supremacy. For the master tailors, management and every member of staff this challenge is a daily reality that is fuelled by passion, commitment, company loyalty and love for all that is beautiful.
Brioni Today
The company represents the cutting edge of the sartorial expertise and tradition of Italian design. A global managerial structure and an expanding strategic sales network, make the brand an unrivalled international company in the luxury tailoring and lifestyle market. Since November 2010 Francesco Pesci has been nominated Chief Executive Officer of the Brioni Group. Brioni is now part of the PPR luxury Group.
Retail Worldwide
In 1982 Brioni, ahead of its time, opened its first shop in New York City. The long established boutique in Via Barberini in Rome, created at the dawn of Italian tailoring and the symbol of international elegance from the post-war period onwards, was joined by the most prestigious international stores ready to offer the same excellent client service. The most important capital cities and the most exclusive resorts are the new company ambassadors: London, Paris, Madrid, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, Mumbai, Porto Cervo, Portofino, Saint Moritz, Capri, and Marbella. 2009 has been a year of expansion in the context of overall group strategy. The ambitious growth plan is focused on the new emerging markets the Middle East and Far East that join the long-established markets in Europe and the USA, continues in 2010. After recent openings in China, Brioni continue to develop its presence in the main hubs worldwide.
Collections
Tradition, elegance and “seasonless” bound garments are the design cornerstones for every new Brioni collection. Whether it be a suit, a tie or a leather garment, the common denominator is the continual quest for improvement, that ventures beyond current standards of excellence. For Brioni a fashion season is not determined by trends but by the quest for perfection. The starting point is always the fabric. Every season 30,000 versions of coats and jackets alone are considered as the basis of the selection of 800 for the collection.
Each suit is personalized according to the customer’s choice of fabric, detailing, specifications and fit. For ready-to-wear suits with standard cut the same high-quality manufacturing processes are applied as for made to measure suits. This is what makes Brioni unique. The leisurewear collection, for Brioni clients who also want to wear the best quality garments in informal settings, represents around 40% of total sales after four seasons. Shirts, ties, garments and accessories in leather epitomize the complexity and complete vision that results in the creation of a composite and consistent collection every time.
Handmade In Italy
Sartorial know-how, the quintessence of technical and style, encapsulates all aspects of Brioni professionalism. The Roman fashion house has taken creativity to the very extremes, with the most daring details ever attempted by the human hand. The ability to maintain this patrimony with steadfast certainty is achieved by the almost religious observance of techniques that through the generations have become our tradition. The creativity involved in realizing a Brioni garment is almost an art form: it takes between 18 and 22 hours to make one suit, 220 steps, equating to 440 hands working on one article.
Each worker is dedicated to a single phase, with 80 workers for pressing alone. Stitches sewn by hand for each jacket vary between 5,000 and 7,000, depending on the model and the type of construction required. Today the “Made in Brioni” brand is in the hands of 400 master tailors and a total of 1,650 employees working in eight facilities manufacturing the Formalwear, Women’s wear and Leisurewear lines. The complexity of workmanship has reached levels that surpass sartorial standards and reflect the research, optimization and industrial evolution of a traditional art.
The pressing phase is a clear example of this quest for perfection: every sewing phase is followed by ironing and followed in turn by precise resting phases that vary according to the type of fabric and the garment’s geographic and climatic destination. All the inspection phases are extremely strict, starting with control of the original fabric. Every defect, irrelevant as far as the market is concerned, is essential to Brioni’s standard of perfection. The maintenance of dimensional stability allows necessary adjustments to be made in the cutting phase.
The examination of the elasticity of the fabric is fundamental for fabrics with little elasticity: silk, mohair, linen, cotton, gabardine, are subject to modifications that affect the volume in order to guarantee consistently the best possible movement and a proper, comfortable fit. Each department head checks all the jacket’s essential points. There are then numerous intermediate inspections each time the article is pressed. The garment is then allowed to rest for several hours in order to evaluate its reaction and implement any small modifications. For each fabric the type of lining is selected from among 50 available varieties, which also depends on the climate conditions of the final destination that affect the way the fabric will react. Only this meticulous attention to all production phases can guarantee the unrivalled quality that has always been a source of pride for those who create and those who wear Brioni.
The Culture
Brioni’s made to measure tailoring is one of the most traditional and satisfying rituals: it means dynamism, innovation, the ability to interpret personal requirements and experiment. Brioni’s culture is founded on continuous research, always exceeding expectations and producing only the best for those who demand the best. In traditional tailoring the creation of a made-to-measure suit is the epitome of exclusiveness. Brioni has added an exclusive service that means clients can be reached wherever they may be to its artisan tradition, represented by the production process and the unique relationship between tailor and client.
Brioni’s made-to-measure items aren’t restricted to suits but extend to the whole Brioni wardrobe, from shirts to ties, right up to the most sophisticated sportswear. The body – The jacket, like a “second skin”, represents the image of perfection. For decades Brioni has been conducting continuous global research into the fit of its suits and its models. This important commitment helps us better understand different body types and their peculiarities, so that each and every suit it creates fits to perfection and is totally personalised.
Our Artifacts
A bespoke garment by definition is made “on an individual, by an individual, for an individual”, in line with his needs and proportions, and may be customized with an unlimited number of details. Besides most of the fabrics we use are made exclusivity for Brioni and are not only of the highest quality, but are exclusive to Brioni, in terms of patterns and colors. Made-to-measure garments permit our clients to have the utmost comfort when wearing our suits and show their individual sense of style: to be one of a kind.
The Experience
Brioni fittings begin well before measurements are taken: the client’s posture and how he moves determine the personalization of the Brioni’s made-to measure suits. The fit of a Brioni suit follows the way the client wears and experiences the suit, as well as his ergonomics and lifestyle. What sophisticated clients want and expect: the ability to satisfy the most varied lifestyles in terms of daily living, aesthetics and sense of style. Through meticulous observation and careful listening, the master tailor is able to couple requirements with what works best for the body type of each individual client.
The unique relationship that is established between tailor and client: discretion and exchange of ideas and opinions are essential elements in order to be able to personalize, improve and update a wardrobe. A Brioni Master Tailor spends approximately 90 days a year travelling worldwide, providing special “made-to-measure” services. It is another kind of travelling that doesn’t end in the customer’s city but starts in the customer’s world: his requests, questions, doubts, taste, esthetical approach, way of living, cultural background and last but not least his psychological component.
The secret of the made to measure by Brioni is giving to the customer the perfect fitting, a strong element in terms of image for all the “Power people” served worldwide by the Master tailors. That’s why, meeting after meeting and suit after suit, a deep and friendly relationship can born between few very important people in the world and the Brioni “wizards”, as someone calls them. Seven generations of Master tailors have been already trained by the Nazareno Fonticoli School of Tailoring founded in 1985 in Penne, in our facilities in Abruzzo. Every year a Master tailor meets very important persons (politics, the most affluent top managers in the world and many celebrities) and Brioni’s policy continue to respect the privacy of all our clients.
