Lessons from Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli is the founder of the Italian luxury fashion company that bears his name and the restorer of the medieval hamlet of Solomeo in Umbria. He calls his approach humanistic capitalism. — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).

On Humanistic Capitalism and Business

On a More Humane Work: Cucinelli: "my lifelong dream has always been this: to make the work of man more humane". — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Three Centuries: Cucinelli: "I've always imagined that a business should definitely have projects lasting three months, three years, and three centuries". — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Gracious Profit: Cucinelli on the message to investors: "we wanted to seek a sustainable and gracious profit" and "our underlying intention was to imagine a company that could grow without harming humanity, or at least do as little harm as possible." — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Wages: Cucinelli: "how can we build thriving businesses when workers only make 980 euro or so per month? It's just not possible!" — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On the Right Hours: Cucinelli: "Everyone should work the right amount of hours; everyone should be online for the right amount of time". — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Being a Guardian: Cucinelli: "While I'm definitely the majority shareholder, I'm not - I repeat - an owner, but a guardian!" — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Humanistic Capitalism: Cucinelli: "we need a Humanistic Capitalism, in which enlightenment and romanticism merge together, in which the mind and soul can meet." — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Guardianship of a Business: Cucinelli: "humanity's greatest thinkers have led me to feel that I am a guardian of this business, and not the owner." — Speech for the listing on the stock exchange (2012).
On Ethical Profit: Cucinelli: "I dreamed of a business to make profits ethically, with dignity, without causing suffering to people and offence to Creation, or at least as little as possible." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Earning a Little More: Cucinelli: "I wanted people to earn a little more, because we are all thinking souls, and because we can no longer turn our backs on poverty." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Greed and Arrogance: Cucinelli's rules for company longevity begin: "Greed does not benefit humans because it forces the rules of nature." The second: "Arrogance is not profitable, as it does not last long." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Replacing the CEO: Cucinelli: "The CEO of a company must be replaced every 12-15 years." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Liquidity: Cucinelli: "For a company, sufficient liquidity is like mother yeast stored in a cupboard." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Crises: Cucinelli: "Every ten years, more or less, there is a crisis, and after every crisis there is new growth: this is what history teaches us." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Dignity: Cucinelli: "We believe in the moral and economic dignity of human beings." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).

On Life, Philosophy, and Humanity

On His Father's Tears: Cucinelli on seeing his father humiliated at work: "this wound, which remained forever in my soul, became for me the imperative and the will to work all my life to promote the moral and economic dignity of the human being." — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On the First Bale of Wheat: Cucinelli: "every year, after the harvest, my grandfather would give the first bale of wheat to the community, an ancient symbol of the balance between profit and giving back". — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Using the Earth: Cucinelli: "I know that our Mother Earth should not be consumed, but used, so that it can regenerate naturally". — Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability (company page).
On Banning After-Hours Work: Cucinelli: "it is forbidden to work past the agreed working time." — A Fair Working Life (2012).
On Stealing the Soul: Cucinelli: "Employers should never steal the soul of their workers by depriving them of the time they need to lead a healthy life." — A Fair Working Life (2012).
On Work and Rest: Cucinelli: "Work, regardless of its nature and kind, should never encroach upon people's life, their rest, the time they need to find a balance between their soul and their body." — A Fair Working Life (2012).
On the Phone Versus Email: Cucinelli: "talking on the phone rather than just communicating via email can be more effective and satisfying." — A Fair Working Life (2012).
On Using Versus Consuming: Cucinelli: "In order to survive, man should simply use things, rather than consuming them. Consuming means impoverishing and depleting, whereas if we use our resources reasonably, they have the time to grow back." — The Decline of Consumerism (2014).
On a Fair Use of Things: Cucinelli: "The wellbeing of society coincides with a fair use of things". — The Decline of Consumerism (2014).
On Privacy: Cucinelli: "Privacy is a kindness of the soul that we ought to show both to those we know and to those we come across." — Human Privacy (2018).
On Rest: Cucinelli: "We need time to rest." — Human Privacy (2018).
On Idleness: Cucinelli: "For our ancestors and for the Romans, idleness - or the time spent away from public life - was a great opportunity to be alone, to lift one's spirits, study and elaborate one's thoughts." — Human Privacy (2018).
On Being Online: Cucinelli: "I believe that being online all the time has worsened the malaise of the soul that human beings always carry within themselves." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Redesigning Our Lives: Cucinelli: "we should reconsider and redesign our lives, and take care of our mind through learning, and take care of our soul through praying and working". — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Looking at the Stars: Cucinelli quotes Pavel Florensky: "When you feel sad, when someone offends you, when something goes wrong or you are overwhelmed by your inner storm, get out and look at the heaven and the stars and everything will fall back into place." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On the Dignity of Artisanal Work: Cucinelli: "It is high time to attach moral and economic dignity to work, especially to artisanal work, which epitomises the beauty and uniqueness of our people." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Fear and Hope: Cucinelli: "I would like our youth to stop feeling afraid — as us parents have told them to be — and replace fear with hope." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Beauty and Guardianship: Cucinelli: "To me, beauty is linked to the concept of guardianship." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Guardians Rather Than Owners: Cucinelli: "The search for beauty has brought me close to the great men of the past, who have taught me to feel like a guardian rather than an owner." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Living According to Nature: Cucinelli: "I live according to nature, thinking that life is a beautiful gift from the creation, seeing dreams as great mates of the soul." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Being Remembered: Cucinelli: "I would like to be remembered as a good man who loved beauty". — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Investing in Dignity: Cucinelli: "Throughout my career, I have tried to invest in man and dignity, believing that human beings feel better and more creative if our working conditions are pleasant." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).

On Style and Craftsmanship

On Choosing Cashmere: Cucinelli: "I also think of my product as something to be desired, something to be inherited. That is why I chose cashmere. I wanted something that was already precious." — Interview: "The fashion philosopher".
On Beginning With Something Beautiful: Cucinelli: "to create beauty, you need to begin with something beautiful, from an exceptional raw material. And you also need to believe that it will last for centuries, not for years." — Interview: "The fashion philosopher".
On Standing the Test of Time: Cucinelli: "for a jumper to be beautiful and precious, it must also stand the test of time." — Interview: "The fashion philosopher".
On Custodians: Cucinelli: "It really is possible to live in harmony with creation. And this makes us custodians, not consumers." — Interview: "The fashion philosopher".

Personal Reflections

On Keeping Your Word: Cucinelli recalls his father: "You must be a good man. Now remember, try to always keep your word." — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).
On Childhood: Cucinelli: "I retain a great memory of my childhood. I never saw my parents argue". — Interview: "Brunello Cucinelli shares his life philosophy" (The Gentleman's Journal).

Lessons from Brunello Cucinelli

On Humanistic Capitalism and Business

On Life, Philosophy, and Humanity

On Style and Craftsmanship

Personal Reflections

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