Beauty Will Save The World
“Beauty will save the world,” said Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist whose psychological penetration into the darkest recesses of the human heart, together with his unsurpassed moments of illumination, had an immense influence on 20th-century fiction.
Similarly, fashion magnate Brunello Cucinelli, finds beauty in things, in people, in ideas, manners and the words. To Cucinelli, beauty is not mere appearance, nor an external feature or something that only matters in the surface. Beauty is the shape of the inner qualities of people and things. It is the beauty of life.
The Man Behind The Brand
Brunello Cucinelli was born into a peasant family in Castel Rigone, a 15th century little hamlet nearby Perugia, in 1953. In 1982, after marrying his wife and having two daughters, Brunello moved to Solomeo. This place became the venue to make his dreams come true but also a great workshop in which he could build his success as an entrepreneur and humanist.
The international market warmly welcomed his made in Italy quality products, and enabled him to implement his ideals. In 1985 he purchased the fourteenth century tumbledown castle in the hamlet and made it into his corporate headquarters; in 2000, with a view to meet the market’s growing demand with adequate production facilities, he acquired and refurbished an existing facility at the foot of the hamlet of Solomeo instead of building new one. And this is the approach dominating his namesake company.
The Humanistic Approach
Combining the ancient with the modern, corporate objectives with human needs, beauty is the secret to his company's innovative drive. Today, the Brunello Cucinelli company identifies its truest meaning and aesthetic research in manual work and craftsmanship. These are the most authentic expressions of people’s creativity, and they are essential to Brunello and his team.
Their products live through time, as they represent the combination of industry and craftsmanship; fascinating the world of their Italian manual skills, their care in the selection of raw materials, as well as by the search for top-notch quality and in each and every stage of the production process.
The School Of The Future
According to the founder, the secret lies in always finding the right measure, in seeing the most advanced technology always as a tool, never as an end, in combining manual work and creativity with contemporary and innovative tools. If one has a clear idea about the above, one can always rest assured to adopt the suitable measure and to use tools only to serve craftsmanship, which has absolute priority.
For these purposes, the School of Arts and Crafts was established in the hamlet of Solomeo, a place whose aim is to rediscover and enhance old crafts, passing them down through generations. The School curriculum covers subjects such as Pattern Making and Women’s Tailoring, Cutting and Men’s Tailoring, Mending, Knitwear, Horticulture, Gardening and Masonry. The School reflects the company’s deep connection with the art of craftsmanship, which is a symbol of the Italian cultural heritage, an element that is highly appreciated and recognized worldwide.
The Common Good
Brunello Cucinelli believes in a humanistic enterprise: business should comply in the noblest manner with all the rules of ethics that man has devised over the centuries. He dreams about a form of humanistic modern capitalism with strong ancient roots, where profit is made without harm or offence to anyone, and part of it is set aside for any initiative that can really improve the condition of human life: services, schools, places of worship and cultural heritage.
The focal point is the common good, which is the guiding force in pursuing prudent and courageous actions. In his business, people are at the very center of every production process, because he is convinced that human dignity is restored solely through the rediscovery of the conscience. Work elevates human dignity and the emotional ties that derive from it. Wherever there is beauty, there is positivity. Hence, beauty will forever be a symbol of the people who are morally good.