Brunello Cucinelli’s Lavish Birthday Party Doubled as an Anniversary

Celebrating one’s 70th birthday is a big enough deal—but what do you do when it coincides with the 45th anniversary of your brand? If you are the beloved Italian designer Brunello Cucinelli, you invite 400 of your nearest and dearest to your bucolic medieval hamlet. Since 1985, Cucinelli has been based in Solomeo, a small town in the hills of Umbria, which he has painstakingly restored to accommodate his family and associates, and expanded with additions like a theater, amphitheater, and library; down the road is his factory and burgeoning vineyards. This past weekend, guests flew to Rome from all over the world and converged in Solomeo for the festivities.

Cucinelli is known for understated luxury—sumptuous knits, easy tailoring, neutral colors. It made sense, then, that the dress code called for “shades of white, panama, light grey, and beige,” which allowed the crowd to effortlessly blend into their carefully considered surroundings. The evening started off with a retrospective show of some of Cucinelli’s signature looks, followed by cocktails and dinner on a terrace overlooking sweeping vistas. In an emotional speech, Cucinelli recalled how he had come from very humble beginnings, but also how he had always been unconditionally supported by his family, and how they taught him about the value of nature and thinking beyond oneself. His vision was to develop a company that was culturally, economically, and morally sustainable; the three pillars for his business, he said, were “truth, justice, and humanity.” Needless to say, we can add sophistication and impeccable taste to the mix.

Below, a few highlights from the festivities.