Why Obama wears Brioni
While reading an international daily a few months back, I chanced upon an advertisement for Brioni. I was pleasantly surprised to find a distinguished-looking male model in a handsome suit side by side with an equally elegant-looking female model wearing a perfectly tailored dress-and-jacket ensemble that exuded timeless femininity and grace. I wasn’t aware that Brioni also had a women’s line, so when I found out they opened a flagship store in Ginza in May, I had to have a look-see; I contacted the gracious head of PR for Brioni-Tokyo and got a lowdown on the label.
Brioni is a fashion brand that is synonymous with unparalleled luxury; it reigns supreme in men’s clothing and is distinguished by impeccably cut and elegantly tailored suits in the finest of fabrics. Their long-standing tradition of creating only the best in men’s fashion remains unchanged, 65 years after their first atelier opened in Rome on Via Barberini.
Brioni is named after the Istrian island frequented by the most exclusive European jetsetters in the first decades of the 20th century. The fashion house was the brainchild of a tailor from Penne named Nazareno Fonticoli and a businessman from Umbria by the name of Gaetano Savini. Their combined love of elegance and an enterprising spirit brought Italy’s top-class tailoring to the forefront of international fashion.
Headed by Andrea Perrone, grandson of Gaetano Savini, the descendants of the founding families of the brand manage the business and are just as committed to maintaining Brioni’s unrivaled position in the luxury tailoring and lifestyle market.
To date, Brioni has a presence in all the major fashion capitals.
A Stitch at a Time
The creativity involved in realizing a Brioni garment is close to an art form. It takes about 18 to 22 hours to create one suit; 220 steps equate to 440 hands working on one piece of clothing. Every worker is dedicated to only one phase, with 80 workers assigned to ironing alone. Depending on the design and type of construction required, 5,000 to 7,000 stitches are hand-sewn to each jacket; every sewing phase is followed by ironing, then by a “precise resting” phase that varies according to the fabric and the garment’s geographic and climatic destination.
Fabrics are strictly inspected to ensure that they have the fundamental elasticity. Silk, mohair, linen, cotton and gabardine are subject to modification so as to consistently guarantee the best possible movement and the proper, comfortable fit of each piece of clothing. Each fabric is then matched with a particular type of lining, 50 available varieties in all. Along the way, numerous intermediate inspections take place, especially after the article is pressed. Each garment is given several hours to rest and is checked for any reaction that might affect the finish and if there is one, appropriate modification automatically follows.
Today, the Brioni brand rests in the hands of 400 master tailors and a total of 1,650 employees. Truly, no other brand exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of “Made in Italy” than Brioni.
Quest for Perfection
Made-to-measure tailoring is one of Brioni’s most traditional and satisfying rituals; it is also the epitome of exclusivity. Brioni has established an exclusive service that provides their clients from all over the world access to their master tailors. These master tailors travel the globe 90 days out of a year, paying personal visits to their clients and providing them with one-of-a kind, specially crafted clothing with the perfect fit. They travel not only to a client’s city but also the client’s world; they learn about his taste, aesthetic approach, cultural background, lifestyle and psychological component and integrate them into the client’s final wardrobe choice.
Seven generations of master tailors have already been trained by the Nazareno Fonticoli School of Tailoring founded in 1985 in Penne, Abruzzo, to continue the tradition of Italian tailoring; the school cultivates the talents of dedicated young students through a four-year course on traditional tailoring followed by a one-year apprenticeship in modern manufacturing techniques at Brioni.
More Than Just Clothes
Unknown to many, even before lifestyle became a byword in the fashion industry, Brioni was already fully embracing the concept. The brand is responsible for the first Italian polo club established in 1924 and has since organized a number of Brioni Polo Classic competitions. The fashion house keeps a small Polo collection for both players and fans of the sport — gentlemen and experts who share a passion for this ancient, virile and unrivaled sport.
In 2005, Brioni partnered with The Four Seasons Hotel-Milan to create “Suite Brioni,” a haven on the top floor of the hotel. Located a short distance from its Milanese headquarters, the hotel suites were created by Brioni architects and interior designers in a style that reflects the atmosphere of an intimate apartment, a refuge that comforts, delights and soothes. One-of-a-kind pieces like the Louis-Philippe armchair irreverently updated in contemporary fabric, Syrian silver tables, Empire armchairs in horsehair and a bassorilievo by cabinet-maker Giuseppe Amato fill the suites.
Women’s Fashion According to Brioni
“Stunning” is one word that sums up Brioni’s women’s fashion. I was blown away by the clean, feminine silhouettes of each of the garments and genuinely impressed with the visual expressions of ingenuity, intricacy and care for the entire 2010 collection.
Brioni’s women’s line has been around for almost 10 years and it currently contributes about 10 percent to the total sales of the brand worldwide. They do not have a celebrity endorser but with topnotch design and craftsmanship, who needs someone famous to promote the brand when the clothes undoubtedly speak for themselves? I believe the Brioni women’s collection has been the fashion world’s best-kept secret and it’s about time everyone was let in on this secret.
Brioni in Ginza-Tokyo
The Brioni Store in Ginza occupies 300 square meters of prime space in the “shopping capital” of Japan and has two floors devoted to the full line of men’s clothes and select women’s fashion including exquisite shoes, sleek clutches and chic oversize bags, delicately woven scarves, fun colored belts and mod bangles.
The store was conceptualized by Studio Galante-Menichini Architects and applies a Japanese aesthetic to Italian artistry.
Sixty-five years and still counting, Brioni is moving forward with an unwavering certainty of its fashion future.
