Italy has long been home to a tradition of family-owned luxury fashion houses, where craftsmanship, heritage, and deep-rooted values are passed down through generations. This legacy has fostered a unique bond between artisanship and innovation, allowing brands like Loro Piana to thrive while staying true to their origins. What makes Loro Piana stand out among other family-run companies is that it has always been a leader in its field, driven not by market trends or popular demands but by the vision and integrity of its leaders. Their quest for absolute comfort, achieved through research and innovation, combined with an impeccable sense of style and a deep-seated respect for the environment, has made the House synonymous with authentic Italian quality. It’s no accident that Loro Piana is recognized without the need for a logo, thanks to the use of the highest-quality materials and an unmistakably refined colour palette.

Loro Piana’s journey traces its roots back to 1924, in the lush valleys of northern Piedmont, where the pristine mountain waters and rich wool from local sheep created an ideal environment for wool production. It was here that Pietro Loro Piana, a scion of a family engaged in the wool trade, laid the foundations of the company. In the early years, Loro Piana’s focus was on producing luxury fabrics that catered to Italy’s refined tastes. The company’s transformation began in earnest under the guidance of Pietro’s nephew, Franco Loro Piana, who joined in the late 1930s and took over after Pietro’s passing in 1941. Franco’s era saw the development of innovative fabrics that captured international attention, notably Tasmanian® wool—a remarkable creation spun from superfine merino fibres sourced from Tasmania. This fabric achieved renown for its unparalleled lightness and softness, setting a new standard in luxury textiles and enabling the company to expand its influence globally.

Franco’s forward-thinking approach extended beyond fabrics. In the 1980s, he introduced environmental consciousness into Loro Piana’s operations, recognizing early the importance of sustainability. By investing in natural fibres and eschewing synthetic materials, Loro Piana solidified a dedication to ecological stewardship, constructing water purification plants and establishing a water-treatment facility in Mongolia to support the communities from which they sourced cashmere.

Franco’s sons, Sergio and Pier Luigi Piana, inherited both their father’s entrepreneurial spirit and love for aesthetics. Under their stewardship, the company entered a new phase of growth, with Sergio emerging as a rare figure in luxury—both an aesthete and an astute businessman. “He knew how to be comfortable and elegant on a sailing boat, in a yacht club in Portofino, up a mountain, or in Milan, New York, or London,” his wife Maria Luisa says in the book. Sergio had a unique ability to blend beauty with business acumen, creating products that epitomized sophistication and function. His vision led Loro Piana into outerwear and accessories, transforming it from a fabric supplier into a luxury fashion house.

One of Loro Piana’s most ambitious undertakings under Sergio and Pier Luigi was the quest to obtain and ethically harvest vicuña, a precious fibre with a storied history in the Andes. Vicuña, softer than cashmere and historically reserved for Incan royalty, had become nearly extinct by the time they visited South America. Recognizing both the ecological and cultural significance of vicuña, the brothers pioneered a sustainable approach, collaborating with local communities to ensure ethical shearing. This endeavour culminated in a landmark auction in Lima in 1994, where vicuña was once again traded legally.

Another breakthrough came with the introduction of Loro Piana’s Storm System® fabric, which revolutionized luxury outerwear by combining the natural comfort of cashmere and wool with waterproof and windproof properties. This fabric allowed Loro Piana to create high-performance jackets like the Icer and Horsey, enabling customers to enjoy the elegance of natural fibres without sacrificing functionality in extreme conditions.

In the 1990s, Sergio and Pier Luigi saw the potential to bring Loro Piana directly to consumers, marking a pivotal expansion into retail. The first boutique opened in New York on East 61st Street, initially designed as an office but transformed into a flagship store showcasing the brand’s full range of offerings—from custom fabrics to cashmere knitwear. The store’s success encouraged Loro Piana to open additional locations in key luxury destinations like Milan, Portofino, and Saint-Tropez. This move allowed Loro Piana to present its ethos of “quiet luxury” directly to clients, becoming a staple among discerning customers globally.#

Always pushing the boundaries of material innovation, Loro Piana introduced Baby Cashmere, an ultra-soft fibre unlike any cashmere seen before, sourced from the downy undercoat of young Hircus goats in Mongolia and northwestern China. Working with traditional communities in a distant part of the world to add a new, higher level of quality and refinement to an already famous raw material, this is yet another example of the company’s sustainability-driven approach to fibre sourcing. Around the same time, Loro Piana also began offering The Gift of Kings® merino wool, which boasted an astonishingly fine diameter of 12 microns, approaching the smoothness of silk. These rare, luxurious fibres underscored the House’s commitment to crafting products that provide both warmth and lightness, embodying its belief in the art of living well.

In 2013, Loro Piana embarked on a new chapter, joining the LVMH Group, with the Arnault family acquiring an 80% stake. Bernard Arnault and his son, Antoine, were longtime admirers of Loro Piana’s products – “it was one of the only brands outside of the group from which we were allowed to make gifts to each other,” Antoine reveals. This acquisition marked the end of the company as an independent, family-owned business, but the House continued to retain its essence within the luxury conglomerate. With LVMH’s support, Loro Piana has expanded its reach while upholding the traditions of excellence established by the Loro Piana family.

Tracing its hundred-year history, Loro Piana: Master of Fibres is a testament to the vision and dedication of a family who believed in the power of quality and craftsmanship to elevate everyday life. As Loro Piana embarks on its next century, the book also stands as a reflection of its guiding ethos: that true luxury is defined not by logos but by substance—exquisite materials, refined aesthetics, and the highest standards of craftsmanship.