Long cherished by a coterie of ultra-discreet, globetrotting, and discerning clients, Loro Piana has in recent times been transformed into a widely sought-after synonym of ‘quiet luxury’. It is a label somehow both perfectly accurate and completely wrong. While the maison has indeed fostered an idea of elegance that is all pared-down sophistication, timelessness and almost-unattainably precious textiles, the Loro Piana aesthetic is definitely not based upon the usual quiet-luxury formula of muted neutrals and endless cashmere. At Loro Piana, there is no rulebook but instead an almost stubborn quest for excellence, built upon a distinct and profoundly Italian identity. A sense and an appreciation of daring and adventure, of a life immersed in nature and sports, and of the vastness of horizons are central to the house’s ethos.

Its story began 100 years ago, in 1924, with a textile mill in Piedmont, northern Italy, a mountainous region renowned for the production of superior wool fabrics. A family enterprise in the best Italian tradition, Loro Piana built a global reputation for its textiles before expanding its scope to include apparel in the 1990s, under the leadership of the late Sergio Loro Piana and his brother Pier Luigi ‘Pigi’ Loro Piana. While Sergio and his wife Luisa worked on style, Pier Luigi travelled to far-flung regions around the world in his quest for the rarest fibres. In 2013, LVMH stepped in as majority stakeholder and Loro Piana has since grown significantly. Today, under the focused guidance of CEO Damien Bertrand, Loro Piana has become a force to be reckoned with: a true embodiment of luxury, with a language all its own. To celebrate its centenary, the maison will stage its first ever exhibition, an immersive show about its storied history at the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai in March 2025. System decided to mark the occasion by asking photographer Juergen Teller to turn his singular gaze upon the composite identity of Loro Piana and its leaders, while paying homage to the maison’s exquisite fibres in its factories in the Piedmont towns of Roccapietra and Quarona.

Luisa Loro Piana is the widow of the late Sergio Loro Piana, the impossibly stylish heir to the family enterprise who expanded Loro Piana’s territory from fabrics to apparel.

‘When I talk about Loro Piana I always get emotional. It is and has been such a big part of my life, like the memory of a dream, which in the end came true. Sergio, my late husband, was the driving force, along with his brother Pigi, of the shift that turned Loro Piana from a supplier of the best fabrics into a supplier of the best clothing. The experience bonded us deeply. We didn’t do much market research; we just brought our beliefs and taste outside of our own environment. The materials used in the first stores, for example, were the same as those in my house, the colours too, and the André shirt – still a bestseller – was my father-in-law’s shirt. I met Sergio in New York; he was struck by the way I was dressed, all in grey flannel with a battered cashmere sweater. I am Venetian, he was Piedmontese, and we really got along. Our shared love of nature and adventure was another strong bond, which we transferred into the maison’s values. Sergio was a scuba diver, a helicopter and aeroplane pilot, a golfer. For him, sport was discipline, concentration and personal improvement, which complemented his impeccable manners. Our love of sports and nature took us to beautiful places. Creating the Loro Piana world was very natural for us, because that’s how we are; we’ve just tried to show others what we are. Friends told us, “You supply the best designers and fashion houses with beautiful fabrics and wonderful yarns. You should propose something of your own.” When they met Sergio, they would comment, “You have a certain way of dressing and carrying yourself, which people admire – do something with it.” At the end of the 1980s, this type of product was missing, and it was perfect timing. If one wanted to be elegant in a sporty kind of way, the offer was limited: Burberry, Barbour, or Husky. The first thing we did, in 1992, was the Horsey Jacket for the Italian equestrian team at the Barcelona Olympics. The rest originated from there, but we always kept in mind that it wasn’t fashion. This was paramount for Sergio. He used to say, “I don’t do fashion; I give my friends and clients elegant solutions.” For him, the clients were the best ambassadors. Sergio brought the tradition of his Piedmontese roots – with a German-Dutch mother and a Venetian wife – to the world, finding a niche in the market. The elegance that everyone attributed to Sergio was for him like the right measure you find in Greek philosophy: moderation in all things, not doing anything loud. Sergio was an entrepreneur of great taste and an exceptional man. There was an innate elegance in his gestures, in his way of being, in the things he surrounded himself with. But he was also a good entrepreneur, with a really clear and precise vision of what he wanted, of where he wanted to position the maison, and he did not compromise in order to get there. The results we obtained are largely due to his tenacity. The balance that set him apart was also in the company: Pigi bought the raw materials and Sergio had the ideas about making a particular fabric or item. When it came to selling the company, among the various proposals we got, we chose the family that had the most respect for all our values. Today, Loro Piana continues to be a maison that customers can fundamentally trust, as they always have. This is really Sergio’s dream come true.’

Pier Luigi ‘Pigi’ Loro Piana is currently the maison’s deputy chairman and charged with sourcing and discovering the finest fibres. He is a passionate sailor and a tireless researcher into all materials precious and rare.

‘One of the reasons why I decided with Sergio, my late brother, to create sportswear in traditional fabrics, such as cashmere or wool flannel, is because we had noticed something amusing and curious. During the week we met bank managers and entrepreneurs in blue suits, looking really elegant in their white shirts and impeccable neckties. On the weekend, however, we met the same people on the ski slopes and they were all dressed in nylon, in bright colours, with stripes and bands, looking loud and garish and honestly, not very elegant. How was it even possible? We gave these clients something that at the time was not available, and succeeded. Loro Piana is an important part of my life; it’s a visceral relationship. Of the 100 years we are celebrating in 2024, I have lived 50. My father’s ambition, after the Second World War and in the economic recovery of the boom years, was to move the company towards the best quality products with the intent of making something beautiful, something of value in limited quantities, following French haute couture. He passed this philosophy on to us. Technological innovation has been a fundamental aspect for us, a true pillar. For instance, my father invented Tasmanian, a really light suiting fabric with a simple weave that revolutionized the world of formalwear and went on to become a staple. We, in turn, developed Storm System, a waterproof membrane applied to precious fabrics. This allowed us to use top-quality raw materials for different products with an added extra: lightness, softness – and waterproofness. These are characteristics of a modern and contemporary garment, but made with noble raw materials. Loro Piana is not just an artisanal company; it’s also a laboratory and an industrial company. Over the years, we’ve reached production volumes that have allowed us to use the most advanced technology and so increase productivity. Being responsible for purchasing the raw materials, I was curious to go and see where they were produced, climbing up the supply chain as far as possible and coming in contact with suppliers that were totally different from those I had in Italy. That’s where the creativity and inspiration for the finished product originated. My role is to look for other raw materials and try to develop them, coming up with new ideas. There is a lot of creativity in the world of production, more than you might imagine. This is what sets us apart. That quest for maximum quality and the transformation into a recognizable finished product are important, but if you don’t make a product that satisfies clients’ needs for elegance or self-esteem, you’re missing the point. What matters is the combination of quality, shape, personality, image, and self-recognition. For high-quality products like Loro Piana’s, the concept of disposable cannot exist. We joke that it’s an insult when someone throws away a Loro Piana item from their wardrobe. If our clothes are seen as contemporary and beautiful, even if they are not fashionable or trendy, then I am not ashamed to say that they represent the right kind of fashion. Luxury is our goal, by which I mean quality without compromises. When you can afford to use the finest wool in the world produced in the best way, then it can be really considered a luxury product. That, ultimately, is Loro Piana.’

Damien Bertrand has been CEO of Loro Piana since November 2021. Under his tenure, the House has seen remarkable and noticeable growth and become one of the luxury market’s most desirable maisons.

‘Loro Piana represents the pinnacle of luxury, a maison where excellence is a shared passion. With our timeless take on elegance and unique sense of touch, we blend rich tactile experiences with functionality and style. It’s a very interesting moment for us, a pivotal point, as we celebrate the maison’s centenary. I see this turning point as symbolic of the tension between always remembering where we come from and always having in mind our North Star. It’s about evolution, not revolution. The trajectory is set: our aim is to continue being the masters of fibres so we can always bring our clients the absolute best wool, the best cashmere, and best linen that we can source around the world. We are unique compared to other houses, because we start with the fibres, and then work these remarkable materials into the best products, taking time to create and make our collections. But we do not do fashion. Being the heralds of timeless style, that does not mean we always offer the same products. We take pride in the fact that our collections are relevant today, but probably will also be relevant in five years or more. It takes dedication to do what we do, and time is something we take. This is what luxury means: having the time and a different time frame. Over the past few years, we have redefined the Loro Piana silhouette to make it more modern, stylish and contemporary, but still timeless and extremely chic, so that people can always recognize the Loro Piana signature style. The maison has a very rich history: what the family has done over a century is remarkable. Heritage and an obsession with quality are very important. At the same time, we don’t want to look into the rearview mirror; we want to look to the future – and one important component of this future, I would say, is innovation. The beautiful thing about textiles is that it is possible to innovate. We are not looking at making big, visible changes; we are not loud in what we do. It’s a little like a painting to which we are constantly adding little brushstrokes. The subtlety of our values translates into a desirability for clients who want innovation, high quality, and something that they buy to treat themselves, out of personal fulfilment. We are growing and keep doing so, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t say that growth is our obsession or our main goal. Rather, our growth is the consequence of that desirability, which is based on our heritage and our projection into the future. Family is also important. For Sergio Loro Piana and Pier Luigi Loro Piana, it was essential to welcome key clients into the maison Loro Piana. As the gatekeepers of the past 100 years, and the people preparing the next 100, we are committed to sustainability and social responsibility; they are essential values for us. We have created stable relationships with the communities in Peru, New Zealand, Australia, Mongolia and China that grow our fibres, and in a way they are part of the Loro Piana family, too. These durable, long-term relationships are essential to who we are and how we work. We want to improve this aspect even more and create the conditions to work together for the next 100 years. Since I joined, we have changed the maison a lot, but at the same time we’ve remained anchored by our values, heritage, and the family. Continuity is key.’