Loro Piana

Loro Piana was founded in 1924 in Quarona, in the Vercelli province of Piedmont, Italy, though the family had been trading wool since the early 19th century. The house built its reputation on one relentless principle: access to the rarest natural fibers in the world and the manufacturing expertise to turn them into cloth.

The mill is the world's largest producer of vicuña cloth — a fiber harvested from wild vicuñas in the Andes and considered one of the rarest and most expensive textiles on earth. Loro Piana also controls significant cashmere supply chains in Inner Mongolia and produces baby cashmere from Hircus goat kids, softer still than standard cashmere.

For bespoke tailoring, Loro Piana cloth is typically reserved for special commissions: a wedding suit, a significant anniversary garment, or an investment piece meant to be worn for decades. A full suit in Loro Piana vicuña can represent a fabric cost of several thousand dollars before the tailor's work begins. The house was acquired by LVMH in 2013 but continues to operate its mills independently.