Brand · Roman tailoring est. 1945

Brioni

The house that staged the first men's runway show — Roman sartorial tailoring at its summit.

Brioni
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Brioni is an Italian menswear luxury house based in Rome, founded in 1945 by Nazareno Fonticoli and Gaetano Savini — the brand that, in 1952, staged the first menswear runway show in the modern history of fashion.

The first store opened on Via Barberini in Rome, its name borrowed from the Croatian Brijuni Islands. Brioni introduced bold colour and lighter cloth to men's tailoring, invented the trunk show, and pioneered Prêt Couture — ready-to-wear haute couture — from its Penne plant in Abruzzo, opened in 1959. American stars of the 1950s including Clark Gable, John Wayne and Cary Grant wore Brioni, and the house dressed James Bond from GoldenEye onward.

In 1985 Brioni opened its tailoring school, the Scuola di Alta Sartoria, in Penne. The house was acquired by the French luxury group Kering in 2011; Federico Arrigoni has been CEO since May 2025, with Norbert Stumpfl creative director since 2018. A Brioni jacket takes 12,000 stitches, only 17% of them visible.

Brioni shopping FAQ

Why is a Brioni suit so expensive?+

Brioni is an Italian menswear house built on true sartorial craft. It operates the Scuola di Alta Sartoria tailoring school in Penne, where a made-to-measure suit passes through around 200 tailors and quality-control specialists before it ships. A single Brioni jacket carries roughly 12,000 stitches, only about 17 percent of which are visible, and garments are pressed and steamed some 80 times. That depth of handwork is what sits behind the price.

Is a Brioni suit worth it?+

If you want hand-tailored Italian construction with serious pedigree, Brioni delivers it. The house staged the first menswear runway show in the modern history of fashion in 1952 and invented the trunk show and Pret Couture, so its tailoring credentials run deep. Whether it is worth it for you depends on how much you value that craft and provenance versus a well-made suit from a less storied name.

How does Brioni compare to Kiton?+

Both are elite Italian tailors, but they come from different schools. Brioni is a Roman house, founded in Rome in 1945, known for its structured tailoring and made-to-measure Su Misura service. Kiton works in the softer Neapolitan tradition. Many enthusiasts try both on, since the right answer usually comes down to which silhouette flatters your build rather than which name is objectively better.

Did Brioni really dress James Bond?+

Yes. Brioni dressed Pierce Brosnan throughout all his James Bond films from GoldenEye in 1995 onward, and also outfitted Daniel Craig in Casino Royale in 2006. That run on screen is a big part of how the house became shorthand for the impeccably tailored leading man.

What is Brioni's made-to-measure service?+

It is called Su Misura, the brand's made-to-measure offering. Brioni actually invented the trunk show to deliver it, presenting collections directly in stores so customers could personalise their garments. The house has long promoted the total look around it, making suits, hats, ties, shirts, and shoes to dress a client head to toe.

Where are Brioni suits made?+

In Italy, and Brioni is firm about keeping it that way. Its production is centred in Abruzzo in towns including Penne, Montebello di Bertona, and Civitella Casanova, with the Brioni Roman Style plant having opened in Penne in 1959. When the brand was hit by the 2009 economic crisis, it pointedly refused to relocate its manufacturing outside of Italy.

What is the story behind Brioni's name and logo?+

The name is a nod to the Brijuni Islands off Croatia, once the summer residence of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito and later a national park. As for the emblem, Brioni registered the image of a polo player as its logo in 1952, more than a decade before Polo Ralph Lauren began using a variation of the same symbol.

When and by whom was Brioni founded?+

Brioni was founded in Rome in 1945, when the first store, a tailor menswear boutique, opened on Via Barberini 79. The founders were tailor Nazareno Fonticoli and businessman Gaetano Savini, who together set the house on its path toward bold colours, lighter materials, and slimmer silhouettes with natural shoulders.

What was Brioni's Peacock Revolution?+

It was the moment Brioni rewrote the rules of menswear. In 1952, at the Sala Bianca in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the house staged the first menswear fashion show in modern fashion history and introduced what became known as the Peacock Revolution: bolder colours, lighter fabrics, and newer, slimmer shapes for men's tailoring.

Who owns Brioni and who designs it today?+

Brioni was acquired by the French luxury group Kering, then named PPR, in 2011. Norbert Stumpfl has been creative director since October 2018, bringing a more tonal, sumptuous approach with cashmere, silk, vicuna, and suede, and Federico Arrigoni became CEO in May 2025.

How should I care for a Brioni suit?+

Given the handwork inside one, treat it kindly. Rotate it with other suits so the cloth can rest, hang it on a broad shaped hanger to protect the natural shoulder, and steam or brush it rather than over-dry-cleaning, which is hard on fine wool. Spot-clean small marks and reserve professional cleaning for when it is genuinely needed; well looked after, a Brioni is meant to last for years.