LORO PIANA CELEBRATES 100 YEARS WITH AN EXCLUSIVE POP-UP EXHIBIT AT SOUTH COAST PLAZA

BY ISABEL PARK

The Italian luxury house marks its centennial milestone with a rare glimpse into its archives

February 25, 2025

For a century, Loro Piana has operated in a different dimension of luxury – one where time is measured not in trending moments, but in the patient perfection of craft. To honor 100 years of heritage and history, Loro Piana will open an exclusive, archival pop-up at South Coast Plaza in Jewel Court from March 6-24.

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SOUTH COAST PLAZA

THE LORO PIANA 100TH ANNIVERSARY POP-UP EXHIBITION

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Loro Piana family in 1924. Credit: Loro Piana

The 100th Anniversary pop-up exhibit commemorates the brand’s centennial milestone with a glimpse into Loro Piana’s extensive archives, where visitors can trace the evolution of the brand’s heritage through a century of craftsmanship. Natural oak bookcases lined with green fabric-covered folders represent the historical archives, while lacquered figurines carefully monitor the shelves. Together with vintage photographs, campaigns and iconic house signatures – such as the impossibly soft Baby Cashmere and the incredibly rare Vicuña fiber – the installation tells a story of obsession. That is, an obsession with an almost maddening pursuit of perfection that has outlasted the volatility of time and fickleness of fashion.

In fact, the cornerstone of the brand’s identity is that constant quest for perfection – a quest that began in the northern Piedmont region of Italy. For centuries, the shepherds who lived in this region spun and sold the local sheep’s wool, which eventually became highly regarded for the quality of the fleece produced. Here, the Loro Piana family established themselves as wool merchants. In 1924, Pietro Loro Piana opened his first textile mill and began producing various fine fabrics. Loro Piana quickly gained a reputation for its exquisite textiles.

Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana. Credit: Loro Piana

The house entered a new chapter in 1941 as Franco Loro Piana assumed the mantle from his uncle Pietro. His revolutionary vision would elevate the maison’s craftsmanship to unprecedented heights as he sought to discover the world’s most extraordinary fibers and transform them into premium wool and cashmere textiles, establishing Loro Piana as the preeminent supplier for the high fashion industry in Italy and abroad.

The 1970s marked another pivotal evolution as Franco’s sons, Pier Luigi and Sergio Loro Piana, took the helm as joint CEOs. While Pier Luigi pursued ever-rarer materials, Sergio expanded the house’s horizons into refined ready-to-wear. During their tenure, the brothers brought two of the house’s most coveted materials to the world – the extraordinarily rare Vicuña – known as the golden fleece of the Andes – and the addictively soft Baby Cashmere, harvested just once in each young goat’s lifetime.

Capra hircus kid goat in Mongolia. Credit: Giulio di Sturco for Loro Piana

Jeremy Strong as Logan Roy in HBO’s Succession wearing Loro Piana coat. Credit: HBO

In recent years, Loro Piana has found itself at the center of cultural conversation. Through appearances in HBO’s Succession and the rise of social media personalities such as The Gstaad Guy, the house has emerged as the benchmark for understated excellence. Its clientele summers in the South of France and skis in Gstaad, with Loro Piana pieces to fit each and every luxe locale. It’s an exercise in “if you know, you know” culture, where prestige lies in the discerning appreciation of extraordinary materials and masterful construction, rather than logos.

Today’s fashion landscape, marked by fast fashion and an ever-accelerating trend cycle, has developed a curious fascination with what Loro Piana represents. While terms such as quiet luxury, stealth wealth and old-money aesthetics didn’t exist a century ago, this modern recognition merely affirms what the house has practiced since its inception.

Loro Piana, however, remains unconcerned with such zeitgeist terminology. In a world increasingly defined by the ephemeral, Loro Piana instead focuses on the convergence of timeless elegance and innovative technique. And it’s this that we see highlighted in the centennial celebration at South Coast Plaza: a rare glimpse into what luxury is – dedication to the exceptional.