LONDON — The Orangery at Kensington Palace has witnessed many sharp dressers pass through its grounds, including Prince Philip, the Duke of Windsor and King Charles III in their heavy English tweeds and Prince of Wales checks.
But on Thursday evening, a lighter and more carefree set of stylish men hit the royal residence’s grounds — the Italians — to celebrate Brioni’s 80th anniversary and its exclusive 25-piece capsule collection with Mr Porter.
The collection’s color palette of taupe, beige and white was inspired by Palazzo Pitti, the Renaissance palace in Florence where Brioni first staged a men’s runway show in 1952.
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The pieces in the collection were more of this time, however, with silk seersucker trousers, fitted bomber jackets and silk-blend blazers.
“Mr Porter has the same feelings about craftsmanship, modernity and menswear,” said Brioni’s creative director Norbert Stumpfl, wearing a “grayish midnight blue” featherlight suit with matching necktie.
“Our client [usually] has no time and puts everything on in the same color in a beautiful navy, gray or black — and it just works, it makes them [look] really presentable and it’s easy for him to choose a garment and combine it. This is also important for me as well [when I’m getting dressed],” the designer said.
The lightness of Stumpfl’s Brioni resonates with the Mr Porter customer. The retailer has been driven by luxury Italian brands — it stocks Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli and Zegna — and their adaptive designs that can be worn from day to night.
“We’ve carried the brand since fall 2011 and it’s very clear in its pathway, it doesn’t flip from one trend to another,” said Daniel Todd, Mr Porter’s buying director of Brioni. “Our customers are buying into authenticity and want to feel like the pieces they’re buying will still be relevant in five to 10 years.”
“For me, the most successful brand is one that can tiptoe the line between a classic customer and a modern one,” he added.
Stumpfl said he doesn’t want his garments to overpower the man that’s wearing it. “It’s important to see the person’s face [who is wearing the pieces],” he said.
Since the designer took over Brioni’s creative helm in 2018, the brand has extended its proposition from just the perfect work suit, shirt or necktie. There’s now sneakers, elasticated waist trousers and sweatpants.
“We’ve created a lifestyle that extends much further than just being a traditional tailoring brand. We’ve made sure our man has something for work, the weekends and for leisure — it’s a change we’ve made in the last six years,” Stumpfl said.
Brioni’s large appeal is also evident in the cross-generational group of celebrities that wear the brand, from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal, Glenn Powell, Austin Butler and Brad Pitt.
Stumpfl calls Brioni a “real luxury company” because of its craftsmanship, where every singular item is made by hand.
“It’s not fake luxury, where we show a tailor doing a little bit of stitching. [Our garments] takes more time than an Hermès bag — it’s that level of time invested in our garments,” he said.
Even though Stumpfl couldn’t comment on sales figures, he feels that Brioni is in a “lucky spot” to ride out the luxury market slowdown as the brand homes in on creating pieces that are for the long ride.
The Kering-owned brand has ramped up its retail operations with international openings, starting with a corner space at Palacio de Hierro in Mexico City and a store at The Mall of Emirates in Dubai in January 2024, followed by a relocation and grand opening of its flagship in Ginza, Tokyo in February.
The Austrian-born designer himself is a seasoned traveler and always on the lookout for new things. He calls London his second home since he studied at Central Saint Martins and worked with Lee McQueen in his early 20s.
“I just love the sophistication [of the city] and the mix of everything. I try to come once or twice a year to just get inspired again,” he said.
On his short London trip, the designer also made a point of snooping around the city’s vintage shops.