For a luxury brand that turns 100 years old this year, Loro Piana is signifying the occasion rather humbly: with a thistle, of all things. The flower—or “fiori di cardo”, as it is known in Italian— appears across its Fall/Winter 2024 collection, be it as a pattern on a scarf, as the metal buttons on a denim jacket, or as a gleaming pin along a collar. It figures into Loro Piana’s century‐long heritage of textile production: Dried thistles are used to raise and brush the fashion brand’s precious cashmere in its Italian factory.
There are other traces of history to be found in the collection, which was presented this May at Soho House Hong Kong in the presence of stars such as Tor Thanapob Leeratanakachorn and Sonia Sui. The women’s looks, which include modest skirt suits, plush shearling coats and pillbox hats, all worthy of Jacqueline Kennedy, exude an air of 20th‐century elegance. At the showcase, jackets were also presented with their collars turned up, and their lapels closed and pinned together. This styling trick, which preserves the softness of the jacket’s folds, was how the late Sergio Loro Piana had stored his own jackets. The Italian businessman, together with his brother Pier Luigi, was responsible for transforming Loro Piana into the luxury brand that it is today.
In spite of all the changes Loro Piana has seen in the past century, fine fabrics remain very much at the heart of the brand. In its Fall/Winter 2024 collection, the luxury house showcases the surprising possibilities of its signature vicuña wool and cashmere. For example, the trucker jackets were crafted from CashDenim, Loro Piana’s innovative blend of cashmere and denim that is made in collaboration with Japanese artisans. The material gives the workwear‐inspired pieces a polished look and feel, as does the technical tweed that was used in an anorak.
In a similar twist, ladylike pieces such as a cropped jacket and a pencil skirt were crafted from the rustic Sopra Visso wool, which Loro Piana has reintroduced this season. The material is sourced from the rare Sopravissana sheep of Italy’s Sibillini Mountains. Another noteworthy wool used in the collection is Pecora Nera, which is solely sourced from black Merino sheep in New Zealand. Combined with jersey fabric, the material adds stretchiness and softness to Loro Piana’s Spagna jackets.
Formal pieces in rustic fabrics; outdoorsy pieces in fancy fabrics. These unexpected combinations could be Loro Piana’s way of shaking off its “quiet luxury” label. In the past year, the term has been flattened to mean fashion that is expensive but basic—and Loro Piana’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection is anything but. There is a printed silk shirt and a matching skirt featuring a vicuña, as well as the other flora and fauna that Loro Piana’s fibres come from. The brand’s Rebecca pumps are now offered in patent leather with bold animal prints. And then there is the Arsa brocade silk jacket, full of character with its stand collar, soft peplum silhouette, and thistle‐shaped buttons. With this collection, Loro Piana makes a clear and loud statement of exactly what luxury means to the century‐old brand.
This story was first seen on Grazia Singapore.
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