The Story Behind Loro Piana's Impossibly Luxurious Materials

Loro Piana may have garnered a lot of attention recently because of the quiet luxury "trend," but the famed Italian label isn't exactly new to the game. And, as Esquire creative director Nick Sullivan points out in the latest episode of Iconic, quiet luxury isn't really a trend—it's a lifetime commitment. In fact, in Loro Piana's case, that commitment has spanned many lifetimes.

Founded in 1924 as a textile producer, the company quickly established a reputation for making some of the finest cloths one could buy. For more than half a century, the only place you were likely to find a Loro Piana label was on the inside of a bespoke suit. That changed about 40 years ago, when brothers Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana—the grand-nephews of founder Pietro Loro Piana—ushered in a new era for the brand, expanding into ready-to-wear fashion, home, and accessories. In 2013, luxury juggernaut LVMH acquired a majority stake in the brand. Since then, the expansion has continued all over the world.

Things may have changed over the course of a century, but Loro Piana's commitment to using the very best raw materials remains at the heart of the operation. Whether the brand is venturing to inner Mongolia to brush its "baby cashmere" from the underbellies of one-year-old goats or climbing into the Andes to harvest vicuña—otherwise known as "the fiber of the gods"—no effort or expense is spared. And thanks to its vertical operation, all that hard work goes directly into the clothes themselves. Just run your finger over one of Loro Piana's handknit baby cashmere sweaters and you'll gain a whole new understanding of what quality and luxury really mean.

Want to learn more? Watch the full episode above.