Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/86796
O predicated entirely on rare fibers. That includes fine-micron Merino wool, baby cashmere, lotus flower and vicuña, among others. Securing such fiber used to create the fine cloths for their iconic clothing has led the brothers on a Marco Polo-like expedition to the four corners of the globe, from high in the Andes to the shores of New Zealand and Australia to the Gobi desert in Mongolia. Therein lies the secret formula S that makes Loro Piana such an anomaly in the fashion world. Unlike other Italian brands that focus exclusively on trend, the Loro Pianas remain faithful men of the cloth. With little regard for time and cost—something no stockholder 86 BAL HARBOUR n a chilly fall day high atop the Andes mountains, Pier Luigi Loro Piana intensely scrutinizes the delicate downy fur of a recently sheared vicuña with the intense gaze of a gold prospector seeking fat flecks of ore in his sieve. Loro Piana has performed this ritual many times over the past two decades as head of a consortium of textile makers charged with controlling the worldwide sale and distribution of the rare vicuña fiber. But these days, Loro Piana is more than a mere figurehead; he and his signature company now own the Peruvian land these native mammals related to the llama call home. Back in May 2008, the family-owned Italian textile and clothing maker acquired 5,238 acres of land in Peru's Lucanas Province, about 12,000 feet high in the Andes, and completely fenced the property—about six times larger than New York's Central Park—into the world's largest privately held reserve to safeguard and breed vicuña. Once an endangered species, vicuña numbers are steadily growing thanks to the company's efforts and both Pier Luigi, nicknamed "Pigi," and his brother Sergio, who serve as co-chief executives of their century-old brand. They have made the rare fiber the top tier in their heavy arsenal of luxury fabrics used to make some of the world's finest clothing. "Now that the diamonds are back on the market we've decided to start our own mine," is how Sergio explained the land purchase shortly after the deal was struck. Due to the rarity of the material, vicuña production remains a relatively small operation, explained Sergio, "but a very important one in terms of prestige. I don't know anyone who would spend 30 years to acquire 200 animals, just to satisfy a dream to have access to the finest fiber in the world," he says. After a short pause he adds, "except us, of course." ince the two brothers gained control of the family business nearly four decades ago, Sergio and Pigi Loro Piana have made it their life's ambition to create one of the world's most formidable luxury brands "Unlike other Italian brands that focus exclusively on trend, the Loro Pianas remain faithful men of the cloth."