#303 Brunello Cucinelli - Building a Fashion Empire, My Life Story

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Read the episode notes & full interview <a href= "https://whatgotyouthere.com/portfolio/303-brunello-cucinelli/">HERE</a></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Today I sit down with fashion icon, <a href="https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/">Brunello Cucinelli</a>. Brunello is the founder of Brunello Cucinelli and is known as “The King of Cashmere” but he didn’t start out on top. Brunello Cucinelli was born into a peasant family in Italy in 1953 and in 1978 he set up a small company and captivated the market with his idea of dying cashmere. Since when he was a boy, he witnessed his father working in an environment that degraded him as a person and became a catalyst for developing his dream to promote a concept of work that ensured respect for the human being’s moral and economic dignity.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">​In a world filled with company management trying to push their employees to the limit Brunello has a refreshing and proven method that is vastly different from what we’re used to.  Brunello Cucinelli, has striven to create an enterprise that follows principles of what he calls “<a href= "https://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/humanistic-capitalism.html">humanistic capitalism</a>." Human capitalism, according to Cucinelli, means pursuing growth and profitability in a “gracious way.” At the company, humanistic capitalism manifests itself in a very specific set of policies and behavioral norms. Workers are paid wages that exceed 20% of the market norms; the workday (even for senior executive) is limited to the hours of 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM; emails are not to be sent after hours or on weekends; lunch breaks are one and half hours long to allow workers to have lunch at home should they choose. There are also strong cultural norms emphasizing respect and dignity.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Brunello is the embodiment of a good soul who brings more beauty to this world and is constantly working to help humanity. </span></p> <p class="p1"><a href= "htt