BRUNELLO CUCINELLI RECEIVES THE ‘DESIGNER OF THE YEAR’ AWARD IN LONDON

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Photos by Dave Benett

Last night, at the Tate Modern Art Museum of London, Brunello Cucinelli received the “Designer of the Year” award from British GQ.

“The Italian term ‘sprezzatura’ is marvelous,” said British actor and award presenter Jonathan Bailey. “‘Light, studied nonchalance’ would be the closest translation in English. Brunello Cucinelli is the undisputed king of sprezzatura and, like the word, there is no easy translation or comparison for him because he is one of a kind. In 1978 he launched his business firmly believing in a sort of humanistic capitalism. He promoted and supported artisan craftsmanship in the couture world and now he is the head of a fashion house that deeply respects artisans while generating an annual turnover of more than half a billion euros. His name is synonymous with Italian excellence.”

“I would like to dedicate my award to the minds and hearts of women and men of every epoch and from every corner of the world and to my teachers whose enlightened words taught me a universal vision of the world and that humanistic capitalism which is so kindly and widely attributed to me,” said Cucinelli in his acceptance speech. “Through it and our work, we have discovered and nurtured the moral and economic dignity of humans, gentle economic growth, harmony between profit and generosity, and respect for Creation, a small part of which I feel I have been called upon to be a faithful and caring guardian. May Creation protect us. Thank you. Thank you all.”

The award was presented during the “GQ Men of the Year” event, now in its 24th edition. During the evening, GQ also presented awards to Sir Anthony Hopkins, Quentin Tarantino, and Ed Sheeran.