How Loro Piana is creating quiet luxury on land and sea

Few brands exude a certain knowingness like Loro Piana - and now it has the wind in its sartorial sails, finds Belle Rice.

If there’s one name that epitomises the look, feel and sense of the phrase “quiet luxury” it’s surely Loro Piana. The Italian label has built on its already stellar reputation over the past year as its chic, understated and superbly crafted designs ruled the runways, setting a trend for label-free looks that give off an air of enduring style.

But for Loro Piana and its core clientele, quiet luxury is less a passing trend and more a timeless sensibility, where well-thought-out and beautifully made purchases turn into lifelong investments and the sheer quality of the pieces speak for themselves.

Founded 100 years ago by engineer Pietro Loro Piana in Piedmont, the brand evolved into the concept we see today after his grandson Franco started to export fabrics in the 1960s. By the 1980s, the founder’s great-grandchildren Pier Luigi and Sergio had created a ready-to-wear line alongside a luxury goods division, forming the label that so appealed to LVMH when it became a majority stakeholder in 2013. Fast forward to Saint-Tropez in June 2024, and Pier Luigi, now in his seventies and impeccably dressed in the brand’s jacket, trousers and shoes, was handing out trophies at the Loro Piana Giraglia Regatta, the first time the brand has been the event’s title sponsor.

It marked the beginning of a fitting partnership, given Pier Luigi – and his label’s – long and well-publicised love of sailing. The owner of My Song, a ClubSwan 80 that competed in the regatta and finished in second place, Loro Piana is a keen sailor who has had a 40-year passion for the sport and also owns 51-metre Masquenada.

The relationship between the man and the water is the key to much of the brand’s inspiration over the years. The iconic designs that epitomise the Loro Piana lifestyle are frequently motivated by life afloat, whether it’s the Defender waterproof Windmate jackets or its light linens that are ideal for laid-back days on board – not to mention the White Sole Shoes that were designed for sailing but have since gained cross-market appeal due to their soft inners, clean lines and lightweight feel.

With former Dior executive Damien Bertrand at the helm since 2021, the label is going from strength to strength in creating essentials that take the wearer through every occasion, be it early morning meetings in cashmere loose-cut suits, weekends in the countryside in virgin wool turtlenecks or the softest of loungewear for evenings at home. 

The brand’s baseball cap – given cult status when it was worn by Succession’s Kendall Roy and much-copied since – remains an all-season staple. Indeed Jeremy Strong, who played the character so convincingly in the award-winning HBO show, has continued to wear the label to countless events, including a custom head-to-toe look at this year’s Met Gala (paired with a Richard Mille watch, naturally).

While A-list fans may have brought the brand organically to new levels of public consciousness, its long-term clientele shares a well-placed loyalty to Loro Piana more for its use of luxury fibres, hand-picked from places as far afield as Mongolia, Peru and New Zealand. Its baby cashmere, for example, is carefully extracted from Capra hircus goat kids and knitted into an incredibly soft children’s sweater. The label is also working with the Peruvian government to expertly safeguard the endangered, camel-like vicuña from poachers and ensure that the fibres the company uses are only obtained from live animals from a private nature reserve named after Franco Loro Piana.

This dedication to detail is woven through each strand of the business, from the in-store team’s familiarity with their loyal customers to the interiors arm, where you can design your home, superyacht or jet with Loro Piana fabrics, furnishings, objets and fittings.

Ultimately, as sailors and guests were shown at Giraglia, it all comes back to the sea; as Bertrand highlighted at the regatta, the brand and its ethos share much with the sailing world, namely a commitment to “tradition, excellence, and perseverance”. And whether you’re on board My Song, the wallywhy200 or visiting La Réserve à la Plage in Ramatuelle, those in the know will recognise the Suitcase stripes on table linens, deck chairs and beach towels and can rest assured they’re in extremely good company.

First published in the October 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.