Fashion |Opinion

Originally a wool merchant, Loro Piana began as a textile mill, exporting high-end fabrics to Europe, Japan, and the Americas. Renowned for its extra-fine wool, cashmere, and vicuña, the company did not enter the ready-to-wear and luxury goods market until the 1980s. It is fair to say it hasn’t looked back since.

By the time LVMH acquired an 80 percent stake in 2013 for 2 billion euros, Loro Piana was already a substantial business. Though its cashmere products were once considered somewhat staid and largely geared toward Asian consumers, the brand offered a unique proposition—one less susceptible to the shifting tides of consumer trends and market volatility than many of its competitors.

Today, Loro Piana is a quiet powerhouse within LVMH’s fashion division. In 2023, it reported sales of 2.4 billion euros, ranking among the group’s top-performing brands. With its fiercely loyal clientele and ultra-luxury positioning, Loro Piana is more akin to Hermès than a traditional fashion house—a comparison that incoming CEO Frédéric Arnault is undoubtedly aware of.

Unlike other fashion maisons, Loro Piana’s textile division remains a highly lucrative enterprise, supplying luxury fashion houses, private clients, interior designers, and the high-end hospitality sector. Its core business has always been textiles and exclusive yarns rather than finished garments.