Brunello Cucinelli Presents His ‘Beautiful Factory’ Project
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MILAN — Brunello Cucinelli presented his project for his new menswear manufacturing site, his “bella fabbrica [beautiful factory],” in Penne, Italy, on Wednesday.
The plant will be located in the Ponte di Sant’Antonio area of Penne and will be unveiled in spring 2025, covering 48,600 square feet and employing between 300 and 350 people.
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Cucinelli revealed his intention to build a factory in Penne last April. Located in the central region of Abruzzo, the town is historically a production hub that specializes in sartorial menswear. It is home to the storied Brioni brand. Details of the investment in the factory were not disclosed.
The move telegraphs Cucinelli’s belief in the growth potential of the tailoring segment and it is in sync with the 2013 acquisition of the production division of the prestigious “Sartoria D’Avenza” in Carrara, another example of Made in Italy excellence in the production of men’s suits. It is also in line with Cucinelli’s long-term strategy and with his belief that the beauty of a factory contributes to give moral dignity to work and improve the quality of the products.
“Penne is a special location, where the tradition of the most refined Italian art and craftsmanship has been expressed at its best in the realization of men’s suits. For this reason, I like to imagine that I can significantly contribute to generating a radiant future for this amiable tradition,” Cucinelli said at Penne’s town hall. He noted that he always aims to strengthen the link between past and future, joining together the best artisanal skills. In this case, the expertise in men’s tailoring from Abruzzo and that of luxury knitwear of Umbria, where Cucinelli’s Solomeo headquarters is based, each “with its glorious history, its own formidable style identity,” which lead to working “right from the start in the highest quality,” he said.
The project will allow training for a new generation of artisans, “handing over our future as custodians of the world of tomorrow,” he said. Cucinelli reiterated that his wish is for the plant “to give economic and moral dignity to the noble manual work, in welcoming, tidy spaces, full of natural light and surrounded by nature,” with the goal to “create the best conditions so that our specialized artisans and those that we will train will be able to renew the most fascinating, Italian sartorial creativity so greatly admired around the world.”
Cucinelli has been renting a restructured plant in Penne since mid-November while waiting for the new plant to be completed. There, in the 21,600-square-foot space, he employs 75 artisans, and aims to reach 100 by the end of the year.
The president of the Abruzzo region, Marco Marsilio, said Penne is recognized as the city of artisanal tailoring and the new key project will contribute to making it increasingly more competitive. “The textile sector is confirmed as leading the entire Abruzzo economy and as a source of enhancement of our territory,” Marsilio said.
Penne Mayor Gilberto Petrucci admitted that Cucinelli’s choice “represents a hope of rebirth and growth for the territory of Penne after years of severe difficulties,” hurt by the slowdown of the formal menswear segment, and that this new high-end production pole will contribute to “renovate and innovate the sartorial tradition of Penne.”
In April, Cucinelli launched a project aimed at beautifying the working spaces of the artisans in the pipeline that create the products for his namesake company, signing an agreement with BNL BNP Paribas for the project called “Beautifying working spaces,” which will allow artisans to improve their working conditions.
The agreement is also in line with Cucinelli’s concept of humanistic capitalism and sustainability, meant to generate a positive social and environmental impact on the territory.
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