Among the world’s luxury brands, perhaps none stands taller than Loro Piana of Northern Italy. Boasting a history dating back to the early 19th century and built upon classic and sturdy Italian family values, Loro Piana’s inception began as a woolen merchant trading in fine textiles and drapery. Focused upon an uncompromising commitment to artisanal craftsmanship Loro Piana has been a beacon of first class fabrics and finished garments for generations. In a world of consumerism often focused upon disposal goods machined from synthetics at low price, Loro Piana has blazed a steadfast trail of success by engineering natural fibers and finishing impeccable Italian made garments regardless of the cost so at to demonstrate to the world the pinnacle of what can be achieved when quality and quality alone is the driving force of creativity and connection.

With a humble heritage of textile trading and tailoring, Loro Piana began in the village of Trivero, the Loro Piana Family possesses six generations of merchant activities within the textile industry beginning as merchants of wool fabrics. Initially a classic importation & exportation operation, a driving passion for first class quality above all transformed this intimate and traditional family business into the most sophisticated and vertically integrated in the world.

Building upon the family’s inception of the business in the late 1800’s, in 1924 Pietro Loro Piana established the first global headquarters for this exciting and accelerating fabric venture in Quarano, Italy. Jumpstarting the transition from pure mercantile business practices to a meticulous manufacturing engine, the company rapidly expanded under Pietro’s leadership with infrastructure that not only established the headquarters’ hub & hive of strategic activities but which also included a bustling series of factories which prepared the business for the boom to come within the era of high fashion.

If Pietro is the one responsible for devising the corporate structure for the current Loro Piana, it was his nephew, Franco Loro Piana, who consolidated the company’s textile distribution arm, expanding the family’s reach across the globe. Following World War II, Franco spread Loro Piana’s first class reputation and fabrics beyond the company’s tidy Italian boarders such that during period of 1940 – 1960, that the name Loro Piana became a name synonymous with very best fabrics & finishing through the world. From the tasteful tailors of Saville Row to the showrooms of top designers and runways of Milan, New York, Paris, and Tokyo, Loro Piana

Standing on the shoulders of their ancestors and 100 years of passionate textile design & development, Franco’s sons Sergio and Per Luigi ignited the next phase of Loro Piana innovation and evolution which ultimately saw the brand transcend its simple but noble manufacturing roots to become a global luxury brand. At play in this transition was the ever present commit to only the absolute best quality and craftsmanship and this newfound desire to take the luxurious Loro Piana fabrics and turn them into finished goods would remain a driving force for both Pier Luigi and his brother. In fact, as the family business encountered opportunities and challenges on its journey, Pier Luigi was said to have consistently repeated the phrase that “quality will always save this company.” In fact, as one will discover, the obsessive dedication to quality fueled the company’s entry and soon-found leadership within the competitive universe of global fashion.

Under Sergio and Pier Lugi’s leadership Loro Piana entered the proper fashion market with luxurious menswear and womenswear collections that derived their beauty from Loro Piana’s unique combination of vertically integrated capabilities as both mill and manufacturer. Coupled with Loro Piana’s steadfast dedication to only the finest fibers and further selectiveness when approaching the topmost tier of the luxury market at large, Loro Piana’s command of its unique end-to-end product design and delivery mechanisms allowed for the complete control of quality throughout the journey of garments from the fiber level to its discerning audience around the world.

Not to be satisfied with its myriad accomplishments since the founding era of the 1800’s, Loro Piana married a love of rare and fine fibers with conscious capitalism and a dedication to sustainability long before such facets of organization elevation were en vogue. Such initiatives placed in motion during the late ‘90’s include environmental care when harvesting yarn from its natural animal sources including cashmere, merino wool, and vicuña. In each instance and as a matter of corporate stakeholder integrity, Loro Piana has created intimate relationships with goat herders and national and local governments in Mongolia & China, farmers and suppliers of merino in New Zealand & Australia, and officials in Peru where care and cultivation of livestock is a top priority while ensuring protection from illegal poachers and other harmful practices. Including a mix of passion and compassion, Loro Piana’s global relationship stand on a firm foundation of respect for the ecosystem, people, and bounties which provide the means of creating the most luxurious garments in the world and in the most sustainable manner possible. Such efforts retain long-lost knowledge of the territory and its livestock while generating a virtuous cycle of economic impact a positive example of which is the Dr. Franco Loro Piana Reserve in Peru. Designed as the first private nature reserve in the country, this 2,000 hectares of protected area subsidized by Loro Piana stands as a commitment to the not only survival of local herds but the flourishing of local communities at the foot of the Andes.

Launching in early November, Alps & Meters is proud to partner with Loro Piana on an exclusive collection made with Lora Piana fine fabrics. Aspiring to follow Loro Piana on a journey of luxury best practice, Alps & Meters is eager to convey the same respect and demand for quality that has fueled Loro Piana’s passion for two centuries. This new relationship, bound firmly by an appreciation for traditional methods of making, will see iconic items from Alps & Meters’ eight piece outerwear collection adopted by Loro Piana and designed with the Italian brand’s elevated and sustainable Eco Storm System fiber along with the benefit of meticulous Italian craftsmanship. Within this assortment remains the ultimate desire to achieve the very best fabric complexion and finishing for alpine sportsmen & women the world over. Authentic and chalk full of storied history & values, the Loro Piana brand stands as a beacon of sustainable luxury whose stewardship since the 1800’s has positively impacted fashion and sport from the humble streets of Quarano, Italy to Paris, Milan, London, New York, China, and the Middle East.