For its newest location, Brunello Cucinelli is drawing inspiration from Miami’s Design District’s rich history of art and design.
The Italian luxury brand’s third location in Florida is located at 139 Northeast 39th Street. It previously had locations in Bal Harbour, where it has been active since 2010, and Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, which was expanded approximately six months ago to include a standalone men’s boutique next door. The new location is 4,500 square feet and two levels. In 2019, the Bal Harbour store moved to its present location.
Massimo Caronna, president and chief executive officer of Brunello Cucinelli’s North American branch, described Miami as “a very dynamic, full of energy” city. There’s a strong cultural draw that draws in a lot of visitors from abroad for the entertainment, music, and hospitality. The Design District is associated with inventiveness, which is something we find appealing about the neighbourhood.
According to Caronna, the business had been looking for a place in the neighbourhood for “quite some time,” so when this one became available, they seized it. “Where you open and the quality of the store are very important when it comes to luxury brands,” he stated. “Distribution is a key component of our long-term business strategy. We are ultimately a lifestyle brand, yet in the world of luxury, exclusivity fuels demand.
Thus, the business decided to create a store where clients could easily become fully immersed in the Brunello Cucinelli way of life. In order to create the impression that this is more of a living room than a regular retail store, the cash register was taken out of the shopping floor and replaced with a bar where customers may have cappuccinos. Caronna explained, “It’s a physical platform to tell them what we’re doing.” He declared, “The personal touch is extremely important for our brand.”
A central wooden cabinet that was repurposed from an early 20th-century food shop, where it had been used to wash and rinse vegetables, and its metal tiled top are two of the store’s unique design features. The bottom floor features a stone carpet. A big silver chandelier is complemented by cognac-colored leather couches from Michel Ducaroy’s Togo collection.
Brunello Cucinelli
The second story is intended to imitate a 1960s living room furnished with recliners (Carlo de Carli for Sormani). This floor houses the dressing rooms as well as a tailor’s area including a giant bamboo mirror that mimics the palm trees of Miami.
Along with accessories and ready-to-wear for both sexes, the store also sells lifestyle items, fragrances, and eyeglasses. Earlier this year, Brunello Cucinelli eyewear was introduced in collaboration with Essilor Luxottica. Men’s and women’s clothing sales are essentially split evenly in terms of units, according to Caronna.
The company’s success in the Florida market is demonstrated by the addition of its third store there. Neiman Marcus in Bal Harbour, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach Gardens; Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton, Miami, Naples, Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens; and the Marissa Collections in Naples are other locations in the state where the Brunello Cucinelli collection is offered for sale.
According to Caronna, the company currently operates 27 outlets in the United States, with plans to gradually add more whenever the ideal location is found. “The goal isn’t to open a lot of stores,” he stated. “We might open two to three globally each year, or as many as five if we think there’s a need for them and a chance.” It’s not as though we must open shop.
According to Caronna, Vail, Colorado will host the next boutique to join the fleet in the United States. He called the company’s Aspen, Colorado, store, which it currently runs, “a jewel.” You can get hot chocolate or apple cider at this lovely lodge with a little bar after skiing. The Vail shop will have a similar design and is scheduled to open in November.
Furthermore, a store is being added to Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, one of the biggest malls in Canada, and it’s scheduled to open in October.
Caronna emphasised that Brunello Cucinelli still has a strong wholesale business even though it is expanding its shop count. As of the end of the first quarter, there were 125 directly operated locations worldwide, accounting for 61 percent of total sales. He declared, “We love wholesale, but we believe in physical retail.” “Our company was founded as a multibrand enterprise, and we firmly maintain that they are the stewards of the brand.” In the first quarter, 39% of total sales came from wholesale.
Overall, Brunello Cucinelli announced last month that it had increased sales in the first three months of the year that ended on March 31 by 16.5 percent in spite of the global slowdown in the market for luxury goods. Orders for the autumn men’s and women’s collections indicate that the company will still make a nice profit and increase by 10% in 2024. Additionally, a 10% increase in revenue is predicted for 2025. The Americas accounted for 36.9% of the overall business with sales in the first quarter of 19.5 percent, or 114.2 million euros.
