Italian fashion mogul Brunello Cucinelli fully embraced Hollywood glamour at the premiere of his new docufilm “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” in Rome on Thursday night.
Held at Cinecittà Studios, just steps away from the recreated Colosseum where Ridley Scott’s epic “Gladiator” filmed, the debut drew some of the biggest names in cinema including Jessica Chastain, Jonathan Bailey, Ava DuVernay, Jeff Goldblum, Chris Pine, Édgar Ramírez and Kyle MacLachlan. All outfitted in Cucinelli creations, the stars came to celebrate not only the King of Cashmere’s clothes but also his philosophy of humanistic capitalism.
“The brand stands for something,” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay told Variety on the beige-colored carpet, a fitting match for Cucinelli’s neutral color palette. “I think about family, I think about advocacy for the land — something that goes beyond just aesthetics.”
“Brunello: The Gracious Visionary,” directed by “Cinema Paradiso” Oscar winner Giuseppe Tornatore, hones in on how Cucinelli went from the son of a farmer in Umbria to the head of a multi-billion-dollar luxury fashion brand. Starring “Love & Gelato” breakout Saul Nanni as a younger version of Cucinelli, the movie weaves documentary and reenacted components to tell the story of how his mindset was shaped by learning philosophy, playing cards and the generosity of others. As a result, the fashion boss prides himself on giving back — making sure his factory workers are paid fair wages and feel like family — and has completely renovated the Italian village of Solomeo that is home to his headquarters.
Kyle MacLachlan, Édgar Ramírez, Brunello Cucinelli, Ava DuVernay and Chris Pine at the “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” premiere.
Getty Images for Brunello Cucinelli
“Why shouldn’t capitalism, too, be contemporary and current? How can you inspire the people working for you if you do not tell them the truth?” Cucinelli said to journalists at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera during a press conference on Friday. “I’ve always believed that the human worker needs a better workplace, a better profit and they need to be treated as thinking souls.”
This unique balance of growing a money-making brand and giving back to the community has struck a chord with Hollywood, with celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Patrick Dempsey participating in the docufilm and the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie wearing his clothes and visiting Solomeo. “Wicked” star Goldblum and his wife Emilie Livingston are among the celebrities to have experienced the village, having met Cucinelli soon after they took up residence in nearby Florence.
“We had a little tour of the whole place and how they do things there. He’s just great,” said Goldblum, sporting a tuxedo and grey cashmere coat from the brand. It’s an added plus, Goldblum said, that wearing Cucinelli makes him feel “like a million bucks.”
Jessica Chastain at the premiere of “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary.”
Getty Images for Brunello Cucinelli
After the screening in Cinecittà’s brand-new Teatro 22 — before which Goldblum and his “Wicked” co-star Bailey had a giggly reunion and Chastain and DuVernay chatted passionately — attendees were ushered to a celebratory dinner on a path through the studios’ set of ancient Rome, lit by dozens of candles and inscribed with quotes from Cucinelli’s favorite philosophers. The man himself, clad in one of his signature grey suits, was greeted inside by cheers of “Bravo!” and kisses from his young granddaughters, beaming with pride.
The dinner felt cozy in contrast to the flashiness of the premiere as guests shared antipasti family-style and were served mezzi paccheri pasta in tomato sauce — the very meal that his Solomeo workers have for lunch every day — from a huge vat in the center of the room. Instead of flowers or elaborate decorations, the walls were lined with thousands of books Cucinelli had brought from his own collection, literally surrounding the dinner party with the spirit of humanism.
As Cucinelli underlined at the press conference, though he has enjoyed a greater profile among celebrities in recent years, what’s truly important is the legacy one leaves behind — and he hopes his makes the world a better place.
“Hollywood, I love it! It’s so amusing,” Cucinelli said with a laugh. “But what I prefer to dwell on is the human soul.”
Giuseppe Tornatore, Brunello Cucinelli, Francesco Cannevale, Saul Nanni and Francesco Ferroni at the premiere of “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary.”
Getty Images for Brunello Cucinelli
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