FROM OUR JANUARY ISSUE: FASHION FUTURES, PART TWO

The entire MR team is proud to present our January 2024 issue. Haven’t gotten your copy, yet? Feel free to page through a digital copy at  Issuu, and we’ll continue to post individual stories on  MR-mag.com. If you haven’t been getting MR in print, be sure that you are on our mailing list for future issues by completing  this form.

Gobi: Truly Traceable Cashmere

How many brands can claim that they know the animals who produce the fibers that ultimately become their finished product? Mongolian-based cashmere company, Gobi Cashmere can.

Gobi, a vertically integrated company, is one of the top five largest cashmere manufacturers in the world whose core belief is a commitment to traceability in both supply chain and production. At Gobi, all products are made in its factory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where everything from raw cashmere processing and yarn creation to final production is done in-house.

This traceability, coupled with the brand’s commitment to responsible hiring (the majority of the brand’s workforce is female), forms a strong foundation from which the region’s most prized asset is cultivated, processed, and presented to global consumers.

The brand, named after the desert region that occupies most of southern Mongolia, uses 100 percent raw Mongolian cashmere. By partnering with the herders and their ancient heritage—in which they hand-comb the goats—it creates eco-friendly cashmere garments that feel as lovely as they look. And since it doesn’t work with third parties, Gobi is able to offer these cashmere goods to the public at a fraction of the cost.

Gobi provides head-to-toe cashmere dressing, including sneakers, with an MSRP of $199 for low tops, and as you probably know, one of the best things about cashmere is that it is temperature regulating, so you can easily wear it year-round.

For more information visit gobicashmere.com or contact support-2@gobicashmere.com.

Luca Faloni – Dressing One Of The One Percent

There’s been a lot written about stealth wealth and quiet luxury this past fashion cycle, usually synonymous with brands like Loro Piano, Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli, Tom Ford, and The Row, that don’t require logos to announce the wearer. Instead, they discreetly whisper, “If you know, you know.”

Luca Faloni knew when he saw the 2020 Christmas card of Prince William and his family, that he had landed one of the most photographed men in the world as a customer. Prince William was wearing the brand’s chunky knit cashmere crew neck in hunting green, which retails for $490 with its denim shirt in classic blue, made in Italy from Albini fabric, for $195. The prince is also a fan of the brand’s Portofino Linen Shirt, having been photographed in the blue mélange and sage versions, which are made in Northern Italy, using the finest Italian pure linen and mother-of-pearl buttons.

Price is a big part of the appeal of the Faloni brand. He’s certainly less expensive than most other brands in the quiet luxury arena, but that’s part of the appeal to many men whose clothing and price tags are closely scrutinized, as Faloni told The Sunday Times of London, “They don’t want to be flashy. If you’re Prince William, you don’t want 60 million people in England to know that you bought a £10,000 jacket from an expensive brand. You look for something discreet and classic, it’s classic but different — without going crazy.” These price points allow the mega-rich to buy in color and style multipliers, while also allowing aspirational customers access to luxury.

One unique aspect of the brand is that Faloni has a strict no-sales rule because he feels “it’s absurd and wrong. When you go to a restaurant you pay full price. When you go to the cinema you pay full price. No other industry says, ‘Stick around a while and we’ll give you everything for 70 percent off.’ That doesn’t make any sense. It’s unhealthy for the industry, for the consumer, for the brands, and for the environment.”

Faloni currently has a DTC distribution plan with eight freestanding stores throughout the world, two in the US in New York City and Miami, but I think it is only a matter of time until the right retailer makes him an offer he won’t be able to refuse. For more information, please check out lucafaloni.com/en-us/ or contact them at care@lucafaloni.com.