Viva Italia!
It might be somewhat of a cliché, but the widespread awareness of the words is only a small measure of the popularity of the country itself.
The nation, of course, once ruled the ancient world and its past has contributed to the foundations of modern culture. It continues to have an impact on culture, fashion, food and art far beyond the size of its population or economy.
After all, where would the world of fashion be without Giorgio Armani, Gianni and Donatella Versace, Valentino, the Missoni clan, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons and more, up to today and the likes of Demna, Alessandro Michele, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Alessandro Sartori? And think of the impact of the likes of the Zegna family, Diego Della Valle, Remo Ruffini, Renzo Rosso, John Elkann and other investors and executives.
Art? Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael…the list is almost endless. Food? Don’t even start or else our mouths will be watering.
So, here, WWD celebrates the designers, executives and other figures who today are helping to drive Italian — and the world’s — culture. There, of course, are many, many more — but, honestly, we had to stop somewhere for now.
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Nerio Alessandri
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Founder, chairman and CEO, Technogym
In 1983, at the age of 22, Nerio Alessandri combined his passion for innovation and technology and sport — hence the name of the company — to design and build his first piece of gym equipment in his garage in Cesena, Italy. A decade later, Technogym introduced wellness: a lifestyle based on regular physical exercise, a balanced diet and a positive mental attitude. Technogym trademarked the wellness term more than 30 years ago in combination with other words to define its lifestyle brand and philosophy.
Technogym is recognized as “The Wellness Company,” and other trademarks include “Wellness System,” comprising fitness equipment, software and health services. In Cesena, Alessandri created the Wellness Valley in 2003, promoted by the Wellness Foundation, also his brainchild.
Technogym was the official supplier of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which marked the 10th time it has been the official partner of the Games, from Sydney in 2000 to Paris in 2024.
As a designer himself, Alessandri has worked with Norman Foster, among others, and the Technogym Village inaugurated in 2012 was designed by ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. In fact, over the years, Technogym has won more than 50 international design awards, such as the Compasso d’Oro and the Red Dot Design Award.
“What makes Italian culture truly special is the unique intersection of innovation, tradition, technology, and lifestyle. Italy offers an unparalleled combination of natural beauty, a rich artistic and cultural heritage, and iconic global brands spanning fashion, design, and technology. Together, these elements create the ‘Italian lifestyle’ — a way of living that people all over the world love and aspire to experience.
“For us as an Italian brand, this heritage is an incredible competitive advantage. However, it also comes with a great responsibility: we must continuously nurture this legacy with modern innovation, ensuring we preserve and build upon this important foundation for our country and future generations.”
Claudio Antonioli
Founder and CEO, Antonioli Group
Claudio Antonioli’s influence on Milan and the Italian scene at large is multifaceted and multipronged, mirroring the different passions of the reserved entrepreneur. Avant-garde fashion, fine dining and clubbing experiences all gather under the roof of his namesake group, which includes the Antonioli stores; the Ann Demeulemeester and 44 Label Group brands; Milan’s go-to Sogni restaurant and Volt nightclub, as well as a nonprofit foundation supporting animals and environmental causes.
Antonioli built his conglomerate gradually, quietly and confidently, backed by expertise in retail and fashion honed for years. His first retail project traces back to 1987, with the Milan store soon becoming a reference point for the local, knowledgeable clientele. It was followed by outposts in locations such as Lugano and Ibiza, for a total of seven retail doors. The retail veteran also cofounded streetwear conglomerate New Guards Group, which he launched in 2015 with Davide De Giglio and Marcelo Burlon and that over the years grew to include brands such as Palm Angels, Unravel Project, Heron Preston, Alanui, Kirin Peggy Gou, Opening Ceremony and Ambush, as well as the Off-White and Marcelo Burlon County of Milan licenses.
“Italian culture is special because it has always evolved through creativity. I love history — it inspires me — but my focus is always on the future. I believe innovation is the best way to honor our heritage.
Whether it’s fashion, hospitality, or philanthropy, my goal is always the same: to create something unique, challenge conventions, and give back to the city where I was born, Milan, as well as to the world. To me, that is the true spirit of Italian culture.”
Silvana Armani
Women’s creative director, Giorgio Armani
The daughter of Giorgio Armani’s brother Sergio, Silvana Armani has been in the limelight since her uncle’s death in September 2025. However, she flanked the late designer for 45 years on the group’s women’s collections, gradually rising through the ranks over the years. She built her experience across the board, starting at the company’s switchboard. Her first steps in fashion began as a model for Walter Albini, Krizia and Cadette, among others.
Becoming Armani’s in-house model, she slowly grew passionate about designing and first trained as a designer in 1980, working on the Emporio Armani women’s line. Her debut as women’s creative director coincided with the Armani Privé couture show in January, in a sign of continuity, while evolving the late designer’s style with her own feminine touch.
“Harmony: this, for me, is what makes Italian culture special. At least, that’s how I see it. It is certainly the aspect with which I most identify, the one I feel closest to and the one that inspires me the most. I believe that our tradition has been deeply shaped by humanist thought, by dialogue with the classical world and by the pursuit of balance between humankind and nature. Although this idea has distant roots, it continues to resonate in the present. For me, with my deep passion for the natural world and for animals, this idea of harmony is a great source of inspiration. It is also a way of engaging with history while looking forward, not backwards. Finally, in the Italian sensibility, harmony signifies a natural inclination towards beauty: a quality that soothes, reassures and often manifests itself in the simplest, most everyday things.”
Frédéric Arnault
CEO, Loro Piana
The second-youngest of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault’s five children, Frédéric Arnault joined Loro Piana in 2025, succeeding Damien Bertrand as CEO at a time when the brand was said to be logging double-digit growth.
Before joining Loro Piana, Arnault led the LVMH Watches division for a little more than a year, with a focus on streamlining and optimizing the industrial backdrop crucial to Swiss watchmaking. He led the acquisition of clockmaker L’Épée 1839 and its parent company Swiza, bringing unique know-how into the group.
The 31-year-old executive is best known for his seven-year tenure at Tag Heuer, which he joined in 2017 to manage its smartwatch activities before becoming chief strategy and digital officer and, ultimately, CEO in 2020.
Arnault also played a key role in developing the 10-year global partnership between LVMH and Formula 1.
A graduate of the École Polytechnique in France, one of the country’s most elite academic institutions, he began his professional career at McKinsey and then worked in Facebook’s Artificial Intelligence Research department before joining the family group.
“Italian luxury is defined by exceptional creativity, savoir-faire, and a unique sense of beauty that is deeply woven into Italy’s culture and story. It is a heritage rooted in an uncompromising eye for details, a spirit of innovation, and a constant quest for excellence. At Loro Piana, we draw inspiration from this spirit every day, translating timeless elegance and exceptional craft into creations that stand the test of time.”
Marco Balich
Creative director, executive producer and CEO of Balich Wonder Studio
This has been quite a year for Balich Wonder Studio with the creative direction of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games and the FIFA World Cup ceremonies. Founded in 2013 by Marco Balich, with Gianmaria Serra and Simoner Merico, Milan-based Balich Wonder Studio is credited with the organization of 17 Olympic ceremonies and 13 games, such as the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup ceremony, for example. Balich over the years has produced the Alta Moda couture shows for Dolce & Gabbana, and delivered a range of exclusive events for top brands including Louis Vuitton, Ferrari, Emporio Armani, Maserati, Bulgari and IWC, among others. Most recently, the list includes collaborations with Max Mara celebrating its 75th anniversary with “The Max!” exhibition in Shanghai and with Buccellati on its “Aquae Mirabiles” immersive exhibition during Milan Design Week. The company won an Emmy Award in 2006 for its Olympic experience and a Compasso d’Oro, the Italian design Oscars, in 2017.
Balich took on the role of artistic director at the 2015 Milan Expo, where he created the famed “Tree of Life.” In 2018, he set up the revolutionary Superlive format, “Giudizio Universale, the Sistine Chapel Immersive Show,” in collaboration with the Vatican Museums.
Comprising 250 employees, the studio, which has offices in Paris, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, is expanding Stateside with the opening of two new headquarters in New York and Los Angeles.
“What makes Italian culture special is its humanity and its ability to transform beauty into something people can touch, feel and experience together. It’s not just about art, architecture, design, fashion, or food. It’s a way of looking at the world where creativity and emotion come together to speak a universal language that inspires, embraces dialogue, and celebrates other cultures without ever overshadowing them.”
Enrico Bartolini
Chef, Monsieur Dior
Enrico Bartolini is Italy’s most decorated Michelin-starred chef — with a total of 14 — and has created a fine-dining network that continues to leave a mark internationally. His most recent accomplishment is being named to helm the Monsieur Dior restaurant in the French brand’s new flagship on Milan’s Via Montenapoleone.
In Milan, he has been leading his namesake restaurant within the MUDEC museum since 2016 and he also heads an impressive number of other fine dining venues, from the Glam inside the Venart Palace on the Grand Canal in Venice and the Locanda Sant’Uffizio in Penango to the 16th-century Villa Elena in Baroque and Liberty style in Bergamo and Bluh Furore on the Amalfi Coast. Around the world, Bartolini heads Roberto’s in Dubai; Spiga in Hong Kong; Amici in Bali, and Enrico Bartolini Hangzhou.
In each of the restaurants, he works with chefs of the highest level, from Davide Boglioli at MUDEC to Donato Ascani at Glam.
Bartolini, a native of Castelmartini in Tuscany and a graduate of the professional Institute Hotel “F. Martini” of Montecatini Terme, began his career in Paris and London, working with chefs Paolo Petrini and Mark Page, and once back in Italy, with Massimiliano Alajmo.
In 2005, managing the Le Robinie restaurant in Oltrepò Pavese, a one-hour drive from Milan, he began to rise as one of the most talented and interesting young chefs on the Italian scene and in 2008, aged 29, he received his first Michelin star.
“Our country is so rich in history and artworks that our greatest responsibility is to preserve them. In addition to art, we are really lucky to have a farming culture matched by climate and rare biodiversity. To find such special and diversified ingredients has always offered suggestions to render the creativity that has characterized my cuisine tangible and tasty.”
Francesca Bellettini
President and CEO, Gucci
Francesca Bellettini was named Gucci’s president and chief executive officer in September 2025, tasked with turning around the storied Italian fashion house, working with artistic director Demna. This was one of the first major moves by Gucci parent Kering’s new CEO, Luca de Meo.
An investment banker who segued into business development, and later communications and merchandising for fashion houses including Prada, Gucci and Bottega Veneta, Bellettini helmed the Saint Laurent brand from 2013, initially working with designer Hedi Slimane, and in 2016 appointed Anthony Vaccarello creative director. She grew the size of the business roughly sixfold, according to market sources.
Bellettini was named Kering’s deputy CEO in charge of brand development in July 2023, relinquishing the CEO title at Saint Laurent to oversee a stable of brands that included, in addition to the latter and Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Brioni, Alexander McQueen, Pomellato, Boucheron and Queelin.
“What makes Italian culture unique is the belief that tradition is not the opposite of innovation — it is its starting point. Our heritage has never been a museum; it has always been a workshop. The minds we admire most were shaped by a deep respect for what came before them, and by the courage to challenge it and evolve it. That is how tradition was turned into something the world had never seen before. This is the Italian way of creating, in the past as much as today. We do not crystallize culture by protecting it from change, but we keep it alive by allowing it to thrive. Every generation reinterprets what it has inherited and, in doing so, makes it meaningful again.”
Sabina Belli
President, Kering Italia
Sabina Belli was recently named president of Kering Italia, tasked with strengthening the French group’s connection with public institutions, luxury industry associations and key stakeholders. She has been CEO of Pomellato, the Kering-owned Italian jewelry house, for 11 years. She first joined in April 2015 as general manager and was promoted to the C-suite post at the end of that year.
An eloquent and frank, yet soft-spoken, executive, Belli began her career in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather and Young & Rubicam. She later joined the luxury division at L’Oréal Luxe in 1991, first as product manager for Helena Rubinstein and then international brand manager for Giorgio Armani fragrances. In 1996, she moved to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, where her roles included international brand director for Christian Dior Parfums, international brand manager for Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and brand executive vice president of Bulgari.
Under her leadership Pomellato unveiled its first high-jewelry collection in 2020, overseen by creative director Vincenzo Castaldo, and strengthened its supply chain through its acquisition of a minority stake in Costanzo & Rizzetto, a Valenza, Italy-based goldsmith company in 2022.
As part of Belli’s commitment to preserving Italy’s and the company’s craftsmanship, in 2018 she spearheaded Pomellato’s higher education program Virtuosi Academy with the Milan-based Galdus Goldsmith Academy, aiming to train the next generation of goldsmiths.
The executive is also leading the Kering Accademia per le Eccellenze, the group’s initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting Italian craftsmanship and supporting the next generation of manufacturing talent through 2035.
At Pomellato, she was instrumental in turning the brand into a stronghold for the promotion of women’s empowerment, launching the Pomellato for Women platform in 2017. In 2019 the executive wrote a book, “D Come Donna, C Come CEO,” or in English, “W as Woman, C as CEO,” a dictionary of sorts, which she has described as “a sincere transcript of what I think and have experienced.”
“Italian culture is distinguished by its ability to hold apparent opposites in perfect balance: a profound respect for heritage and a restless desire to reinvent it, beauty and purpose, exceptional mastery and instinctive ease. In Italy, creativity is not confined to museums or studios; it is woven into everyday life, from the objects we design to the way we gather around a table. At Pomellato, this is what Milan has taught us: to know tradition intimately, then have the courage to transform it. Italian culture remains so influential because it is never static; each generation brings its own human touch, curiosity, and imagination.”
Mehdi Benabadji
CEO, Ginori 1735
Mehdi Benabadji joined Ginori 1735 as chief executive officer in May 2025, after about five years at Kering-owned Brioni. He was temporarily in charge of Ginori after the departure of Giovanni Giunchedi as CEO in 2019.
His career has centered on luxury brand management, retail expansion and the development of lifestyle businesses. In this new role, Benabadji has said he is focused on guiding Ginori’s ongoing history, which will move beyond traditional tableware into interiors, decorative objects, hospitality and broader lifestyle categories. The brand’s expansion has included collaborations and collections developed with designers such as Luca Nichetto.
“Italian culture is defined by an instinct to create and to experience beauty, emotion and human connection. It does not necessarily strive for perfection, but leaves room for character and finds beauty in simplicity. Centuries of history and tradition make it feel authentic, distinctive and timeless. Its universal appeal lies in its ability to welcome others in, it attracts and embraces. In my eyes, this is why Italy continues to influence the world, from design and art to food, fashion, and beyond.”
Roberta Benaglia
Founder and CEO, Style Capital
As founder and chief executive officer of Italian private equity fund Style Capital, which she established in 2005, Roberta Benaglia has built a solid reputation as a thoroughly prepared and fearless investor, proving her managerial skills in brand discipline, digital growth and international expansion.
Among the few female leaders in the European private equity space, she has backed and scaled labels such as Golden Goose, Zimmermann, Forte_Forte, MSGM, LuisaViaRoma, Re/Done, Soeur and, more recently, Autry. Style Capital’s core investments are geared at fashion, luxury and lifestyle companies with sales between 20 million and 200 million euros.
Benaglia served as CEO of Golden Goose between 2013 and 2015 after Style Capital, then named DGPA, acquired 38 percent of the luxury sneaker brand. During that time and under her lead, Golden Goose’s revenues increased from 21.4 million euros to 76 million euros. In 2015, Golden Goose passed under the control of Ergon Capital Partners III and in 2017 was acquired by Carlyle Europe Partners IV, which later sold the brand to Permira for 1.2 billion euros.
Style Capital’s 11 investments since its founding have helped raise Benaglia’s profile globally. One of her most prominent wins was Zimmermann, in which Style Capital acquired a majority stake in 2021 before selling a controlling interest to Advent in 2024, while retaining a minority position. The firm had earlier invested in MSGM, acquiring a 32 percent stake in 2018, which it raised earlier this year to become the majority shareholder with an 80 percent interest.
Other investments have included Florence-based multibrand e-tailer LuisaViaRoma, which it exited last year, as well as Twinset, Sundek and Damiani.
“What makes Italian culture unique is that, in Italy, we don’t reserve beauty for museums or special occasions, but beauty is woven into our everyday life.
“Another distinctive element is the importance of human relationships. Family and friendships come before efficiency. Meals are not just about eating; they are moments to connect and spend time together. Success is important, but life is measured by the quality of the relationships we build.
“So, if I had to summarize Italian culture in one sentence, I would say: Italian culture is the art of living well; we believe that beauty and relationships give everyday life meaning. Italy is not simply a place where beautiful things are made, it’s a country where beauty is a way of life.”
Lorenzo Bertelli
Head of corporate social responsibility at Prada Group, executive chairman of Versace
Last December, Lorenzo Bertelli, head of corporate social responsibility at the Prada Group, took on the role of executive chairman of Versace following the group’s acquisition of the fellow heritage Italian brand. Since then, Bertelli, a strong believer in the “huge potential” of Versace, tapped former Maison Azzedine Alaïa creative director Pieter Mulier as chief creative officer at Versace and the brand parted ways with CEO Emmanuel Gintzburger in June.
The son of Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, Lorenzo Bertelli joined the company in 2017, serving as chief marketing officer. He is deeply involved in eco-friendly innovations and educational initiatives, such as Sea Beyond launched in 2019, creating last year a trust fund with UNESCO for the ocean literacy project. Introduced concurrently with the launch of the Re-Nylon collection crafted from Econyl recycled nylon, Sea Beyond has grown in scope and reach, reflecting his and the group’s commitment to culture at large, in addition to environmental sustainability.
“Italian culture has proved its ability to remain relevant across the ages and in many different spheres, and to continue attracting people who are drawn to beauty. Its strength lies in its capacity to evolve and find new ways to engage with the world around it, generation after generation, while retaining its distinctiveness.
“The challenge now is to keep looking ahead while preserving what we cannot afford to lose: the environment, the knowledge and expertise developed across so many fields, and our heritage, while educating and engaging new generations. All of these are part of our responsibility towards the future and the generations to come. This is also the thinking behind Sea Beyond through which we are working to give younger generations a greater understanding of the ocean and the importance of preserving it.”
Alessandro Binello
Cofounder and group CEO, Quadrivio Group
Alessandro Binello boasts more than 25 years of experience in finance and consulting. After graduating from the University of Turin with a degree in economics and business, he established investment firm Quadrivio Group 25 years ago alongside Walter Ricciotti. The fund has completed more than 100 transactions, raising 2 billion euros from institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. It now operates out of major financial centers including Milan, London, New York and Hong Kong, among other cities.
Under his leadership, Quadrivio has developed a range of industry-specific funds, including the Made in Italy I and II funds, focused on fashion, design, beauty and food and wine. The entrepreneur recently told WWD that the fund is focused on fast-growing, profitable companies positioned in the “affordable luxury” segment.
Managed alongside Pambianco, the funds have invested in fashion brands ranging from GCDS and Rosantica to Dondup, PT Torino, and Filippo De Laurentiis, as well as beauty player Les Secrets de Loly and design e-commerce Mohd. In June 2025, the Made in Italy Fund II acquired 100 percent of Twinset from The Carlyle Group.
One of the fund’s most prominent wins was sneaker brand Autry, which Quadrivio’s Made in Italy Fund acquired in 2021 and sold to fellow investment firm Style Capital in 2024, after the label had grown from roughly 30 million euros in turnover to 110 million euros.
Quadrivio also targets digitized and automated manufacturing companies through its Industry 4.0 Fund, and AI investments with a newer private equity entity in its portfolio developed in partnership with Microsoft.
“What makes Italian culture truly special is its extraordinary ability to combine tradition and innovation, talent and creativity. From fashion and design to food and manufacturing, Italian excellence is recognized and admired all over the world. Made in Italy is like oil, our most valuable natural resource, an invaluable heritage and one of the country’s greatest assets,with its craftsmanship, quality, beauty and attention to details.“
Marco Bizzarri
Non-executive chairman, Golden Goose, and board member, Armani Group
Marco Bizzarri in June was named non-executive chairman of Golden Goose, upon the completion of the deal that saw private equity firm HSG become majority shareholder of the Italian brand, helmed by CEO Silvio Campara. Last November, Bizzarri joined the new board of directors of the Armani Group. After leading a textbook turnaround at Gucci as president and CEO, selecting Alessandro Michele as creative director in 2015, and tripling the size of the business to 9.73 billion euros in 2022, he exited the Italian company in September 2023. Before that, he built his career at Bottega Veneta and Stella McCartney. In 2024, through a personal holding called Nessifashion, Bizzarri invested in Elisabetta Franchi, becoming the brand’s chairman and departed a year later, divesting from that company. He is an investor in Forel, which in 2024 entered into an agreement on behalf of the FARO fund to acquire a majority stake in Italian luxury interior design brand Visionnaire. Bizzarri is also a partner in Orienta Capital Partners.
“Italian culture has always lived in the space between imagination and discipline, between art and science. We are a country of dreamers, but also of makers. We create beauty through hard work, knowledge, and an obsession with craft.
“For centuries, Italy has transformed creativity into industry. We turn culture into innovation, and ideas into things that last. And we have always seen that progress is not only about technology, it is about people — about talent, curiosity, and the freedom to create.
“That is our heritage, and in a world shaped by new intelligence, it may be our greatest competitive advantage. Because the future belongs to those who combine technology with humanity — and that has always been the Italian way.”
Alessandro Boglione
Co-CEO, BasicNet
Co-CEO of BasicNet, Boglione is the son of BasicNet founder and president Marco Boglione and works alongside his brother Lorenzo to oversee the group’s portfolio of sportswear, footwear and lifestyle brands, which include K-Way, Superga, Woolrich and Sebaga, among others.
He joined the family business in 2011 and in 2019, he joined the board of directors of BasicNet SpA. In 2025, he and his brother Lorenzo were appointed co-CEOs, succeeding Federico Trono.
“At BasicNet, we have the privilege and responsibility of bringing this heritage to life through our iconic brands — from Superga and Kappa to K-Way, Sebago, Sundek and Woolrich. Each brand has its own history and identity, but they all share the ability to evolve while staying true to their roots. For us, this is the essence of Italian brands: knowing where we come from, while always imagining where we can go.”
Lorenzo Boglione
Co-CEO, BasicNet
Lorenzo Boglione, the co-CEO of BasicNet along with his brother Alessandro, joined the company in 2010 and held a series of management roles before becoming vice president in 2022. His background has focused particularly on marketing, brand positioning and the international development of labels such as Kappa, Superga and K-Way. His appointment as co-CEO in 2025 marked a generational transition for BasicNet, while maintaining the company’s asset-light model based on licensing, distribution and global partnerships.
“What makes Italian culture so distinctive is its ability to combine tradition with reinvention. Our savoir-faire is built on knowledge and craftsmanship passed down through generations, but also on the courage to innovate and give tradition a contemporary meaning. Quality, attention to detail, authenticity and creativity are deeply rooted in the Italian way of life — where beauty becomes a form of expression.”
Massimo Bottura
Chef
Massimo Bottura is the acclaimed Italian chef behind Osteria Francescana in Modena, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant renowned for its unique interpretation of traditional Italian cuisine. At an early age, Bottura’s culinary vision was greatly influenced by his grandmother Ancella, whose pasta-making remains a recurring touchstone in his storytelling and cooking.
In 2016, Bottura and his wife, Lara Gilmore, founded Food for Soul, a cultural project that empowers communities, and salvages and repurposes food that would otherwise be discarded. Since its launch, the organization has supported 12 refettorios or dining centers in nine countries, using food, design and hospitality to champion social inclusion.
Corrado Brondi
Founder and chairman, Give Back Beauty
Since Corrado Brondi established Give Back Beauty, or GBB, in Geneva in 2019, the company’s agile and flexible business model has built an ecosystem of different divisions spread across 15 international offices. Brondi’s privately owned company — which specializes in the creation, production, marketing and distribution of beauty brands across fragrances, makeup, skin care and hair care — has gradually secured licenses for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Zegna and Elie Saab. It also launched buzzy brands like Florence by Mills by Millie Bobby Brown and Blake Brown by Blake Lively and implemented hybrid business models for partners such as Dolce & Gabbana and Olaplex. Its rapid ascent is proved by revenues growing tenfold in the past five years and projected to hit the 450-million-euro milestone in 2026.
Brondi has more than 25 years of experience in finance, luxury and beauty. After earning a degree in business administration from Bocconi University in Milan and a CEMS master’s from HEC Paris, he began his career at Bain & Company and Goldman Sachs before joining LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in Paris, where he held senior management positions and deepened his expertise in luxury fragrances. In 2000, he founded Selective Beauty in Paris, a fragrance distribution and licensing company that partnered with brands including Burberry, Bulgari and Jimmy Choo. Within five years, the company reached 180 million euros in sales. After Selective Beauty was sold to a private equity group in 2008, Brondi founded CBBeauty, a fragrance and cosmetics player specialized in celebrity brands that has partnered with the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction and was acquired by Revlon in 2015.
“What makes Italian culture special is the way creativity, craftsmanship and entrepreneurship come together so naturally. We grow up surrounded by a culture where beauty matters, details matter and relationships matter. That has deeply influenced the way we have built GBB. We are a global company and embrace many different cultures, but our Italian roots continue to shape my belief that great businesses need more than strategy and execution: they need creativity, humanity and purpose.”
Enrico Buonocore
CEO, Buonocore Hospitality Group
Almost 20 years after introducing his first Langosteria seafood restaurant in Milan in 2007, Enrico Buonocore is structuring his growing food and beverage operations under the new Buonocore Hospitality Group umbrella, previously called Langosteria Group.
Today Buonocore Hospitality Group counts nine Langosteria restaurants; the newly introduced Pepe, and beach club and restaurant Bagni Fiore in Paraggi, near Portofino — with more to come. Three restaurants for each brand, including Pepe, are expected to open in the next five years. While Buonocore is eyeing expansion in the U.S., a Langosteria opening in Madrid is confirmed at the moment.
While entering a new phase and a new identity, Buonocore remains majority shareholder with a group of well-known partners, with Archive Srl, owned by Moncler executive chairman Remo Ruffini’s Ruffini Partecipazioni Holding, continuing to hold a 40 percent stake. Archive first invested in the group in 2018.
“Italy represents excellence in an extraordinary number of disciplines: furniture, cuisine, fashion, cars, art, architecture, just to name a few. Everything born out of Italian culture is crafted with an almost obsessive pursuit of quality and often becomes iconic. Our cult of excellence spans through centuries and is well embodied by people like Leonardo da Vinci, Guglielmo Marconi, Enrico Fermi and countless other pioneers who changed the world with their talent. Having become a benchmark in excellence, our eyes are accustomed to beauty: we live in a naturally beautiful country and grew up surrounded by beauty. The beautiful — and the good — are part of our cultural heritage. This is maybe why Italians tend to strive for excellence in everything they create in an almost natural way. It is a mindset that leads us not to settle for simply ‘well done’ but to pursue the extraordinary.”
Laura Burdese
CEO, Bulgari
Laura Burdese was promoted to CEO of Bulgari last July. A bubbly executive with sparkling energy coupled with sharp business acumen, Burdese joined the LVMH-owned Roman jeweler in 2022 as vice president of marketing and communication and played a key role in Bulgari’s elevation strategy. Promoted to deputy CEO, a newly created position at the brand, she oversaw the jewelry, watches, perfumes and leather goods businesses. She flanked then-CEO Jean-Christophe Babin in the expansion of the new production facility in Valenza, inaugurated in April 2025, and the experiential events and fashion shows Bulgari has held to raise the visibility of its high jewelry collections.
Burdese first joined the LVMH Group in October 2016 as president and CEO of Acqua di Parma, before moving to Bulgari in 2022. She started her career in the beauty industry, holding brand management positions at Beiersdorf and L’Oréal, before moving on to the Swatch Group, climbing the ladder until she was named country manager of the group’s Italian subsidiary. In 2012, in addition to this role, she was named president and CEO of Calvin Klein Watch & Jewelry Co. Ltd.
“What makes Italian culture so special is its ability to bring together culture, craft and life in a very natural way. In Italy, creativity is deeply connected to everyday experience. It lives in the way we shape spaces, dress, eat, welcome, celebrate, and relate to one another.
“There is also a very distinctive relationship with the past. In Italy, history is visible and physical, woven into the landscape, the architecture, the objects of our daily life. It is a layered presence, something we continue to live with, interpret and transform.
“Craftsmanship is one of the ways this continuity becomes tangible. In Italy, making carries a form of intelligence: a way of thinking through materials, gestures, proportions, details and time. I see this very clearly in Italian luxury, where savoir-faire gives substance to creativity and allows emotion to become tangible.
“At its best, Italian luxury creates objects that carry artistic sensibility, care and meaning. There is a generosity in the Italian way of creating: a desire to share not only excellence, but emotion, through details, rituals and human relationships.
“For me, this is what makes Italian culture powerful today. It carries depth, sophistication, and a sense of joy that makes culture feel alive and deeply human.”
Silvio Campara
CEO, Golden Goose
Silvio Campara joined as an investor and commercial director of Golden Goose in 2013, becoming its CEO in September 2018. He began his career at Alexander McQueen and then Giorgio Armani, contributing to the launch of the maison’s retail network in Asia. A graduate of Luigi Bocconi University in Milan, in 2009 he specialized in buyout operations working with Style Capital.
He spearheaded the international expansion of Golden Goose, famous for its Super-Star model, through consistent growth, driven by its direct-to-consumer channel, reaching sales of 734 million euros in 2025, up 15 percent on 2024, leveraging co-creation and a strong community. In June, the deal between the Venice-based label and international venture capital and private equity firm HSG was completed, with the latter becoming majority shareholder and Campara retaining his role. Temasek and True Light Capital, an asset manager wholly owned by Temasek, joined as minority investors. Permira remained committed as a strategic minority shareholder. Financial terms were not disclosed, but market sources pegged the acquisition at 2.5 billion euros.
“Italy is famous for its art, beauty, food and hospitality, but there is so much more than that. It’s the country where a dream becomes reality through the art of making with the hands. Craftsmanship and the finest handmade products are the result of a vivid imagination, a dream made by the people for the people.”
Stefano Canali
President and CEO, Canali
A third-generation member of the family-run company, Stefano Canali joined the family firm in 1998 after cutting his teeth at independent currency risk management firms and Italian commercial banks, based in New York.
He quickly climbed the ladder, moving from the accounting department through to being promoted to chief financial officer and, in 2008, general manager. He has held the president and CEO role since 2018, succeeding his father Eugenio Canali, who died in 2023.
A graduate of Bocconi University in Milan with a degree in business administration, Canali has been responsible for the evolution of the namesake brand from a menswear tailoring specialist into a full-fledged luxury brand by investing in overseas expansion and retail with experiential components, naming the first creative director, Alessio Lillocci, earlier this year and broadening the merchandise offering to cater to increasingly international customers.
Sustainability and responsible business practices have been high on the executive’s agenda. In 2023, Canali debuted Care, an umbrella program grouping all the brand’s eco- and responsibility-minded initiatives. Two years earlier, Canali pushed the company to embrace the Life Cycle Assessment-based Organization Environmental Footprint, or OEF, methodology, as well as the PEF, or Product Environmental Footprint, analysis.
“In Italy, we have the privilege of growing up surrounded by beauty. Thousands of years of history, art, architecture, sculpture, literature and poetry are part of our everyday experience. We do not encounter this heritage only in museums or books; we live with it. We absorb it, even without realizing it, and it shapes our taste, our sensitivity to proportion and harmony, and the way we see the world.
“I believe this helps explain why Italy excels in fashion, design and cuisine. These are not separate worlds, but different expressions of the same cultural sensibility.
“We have an expression, bello e ben fatto — beautiful and well made. For me, those two qualities belong together: the beauty of something is inseparable from the knowledge, skill and care that go into making it. This is what Made in Italy carries within it. It tells you much more than where something was produced; it speaks of an entire cultural inheritance, passed through generations and expressed in what we create today.”
Stefano Cantino
Co-CEO, Dolce & Gabbana
Stefano Cantino was named co-CEO of Dolce & Gabbana in April, flanking chairman and CEO Alfonso Dolce. Prior to his CEO role at Gucci, which he exited in September last year, Cantino was senior vice president of communications at Louis Vuitton, recruited by then-chairman and CEO Michael Burke. Cantino’s scope more than communications and events extended to retail touch points and marketing. Before that, he spent much of his 22-year career at Prada in various business development, merchandising and marketing roles, involved in everything from retail to industrial processes. He is a graduate in political science from the University of Turin. Since his arrival at Dolce & Gabbana, Cantino has voiced his belief in the growth potential of the brand, its ready-to-wear, including the expansion of the men’s category, its strength in beauty, lifestyle, food and beverage and in the home collection, launched in 2021.
“One of the most remarkable aspects of Italian culture is its ability to remain alive and relevant across generations. Art, craftsmanship, design, music, fashion, gastronomy and landscape do not belong solely to the past; they continue to shape the way we live, create and imagine the future. What makes our country truly unique is its diversity: different cultures, traditions and sensibilities coexisting and enriching one another. From Piedmont, where I grew up, to Sicily, which today represents an important part of my professional journey, I have learned that Italian identity is born precisely from the encounter of these differences. It is a culture that preserves memory while always looking ahead.”
Carlo Capasa
Chairman, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana
Carlo Capasa has been chairman of Italy’s fashion governing body Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana since April 2015. He was unanimously renewed in the role for the 2026 to 2028 period last July.
The executive — a cofounder alongside his brother Ennio of the Costume National brand, which they sold and exited in 2016 — has steered the organization through more than a decade of enormous changes, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced shift to digital-only fashion shows, and the most recent years of geopolitical and macroeconomic disruption for the fashion sector and the world at large.
Under his lead, Camera della Moda has enhanced the storytelling about the sector, spearheaded training and education initiatives, promoted new brands and emerging creative talents, strengthened institutional and international relations, including with its French counterpart, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, and continued to invest in the organization of Milan Fashion Week.
Capasa has been particularly vocal about environmental and social sustainability, making it a pillar of his strategy for the organization, publishing sustainability reports, roadmaps and guidelines. In July the association joined the new sustainability-minded “Fashion Cities Coalition.” In 2017, Camera della Moda launched the Green Carpet Fashion Awards, Italia, in collaboration with Liva Firth’s consultancy Eco-Age. In 2022 the event was renamed CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards and held IRL — no longer with Firth’s involvement — each September ever since the pandemic. In 2026 the event will be skipped, waiting for the rebranded CNMI Creative and Sustainable Fashion Awards to be held in 2027.
“What makes Italian culture unique is its profound relationship with beauty and art, deeply rooted in our history and expressed through the landscape, our artistic and cultural heritage, and even in the way we experience everyday life. This relationship has shaped a distinctive idea of creativity, craftsmanship and quality. Its roots reach back to the Greco-Roman culture and its enduring conception of classical beauty, which was later renewed and transformed during the Renaissance through the tradition of the botteghe, where artists and artisans worked side by side, sharing knowledge, techniques and a constant pursuit of beauty. This dialogue between art, craftsmanship and creativity has continued to evolve over time and remains at the heart of Italian creativity today. The history of Italian fashion, as well as its contemporary expressions, is a powerful example of this heritage. Fashion is one of the defining elements of Italy’s identity and one of its most influential ambassadors to the world.”
Cerea family
Owner, Da Vittorio
The Cerea family is synonymous with warm hospitality and fine dining in Italy and abroad, having turned the local Da Vittorio restaurant in Bergamo, Italy, into one of the country’s most influential family-run hospitality groups.
It certainly helped that some of the family’s signature dishes, including “paccheri al pomodoro,” have won over A-listers and celebrities. A case in point: Brunello Cucinelli events rarely go without a live cooking demonstration of the tomato-sauce pasta.
Vittorio Cerea and his wife, Bruna Gioconda Gritti Cerea, founded the restaurant in 1966, betting on seafood in a city whose dining culture was more closely associated with northern Italian land-based cooking. Da Vittorio received its first Michelin star in 1978 and has since amassed two more, in 1996 and 2020. In 2005, the restaurant relocated from its original venue to La Dimora, an estate on the Cantalupa hill outside Bergamo. Its founder Vittorio died later that year.
The family business is now helmed by Bruna and her five children: Enrico and Roberto, who share the executive chef role; Francesco, the group’s commercial and operational strategist; Rossella, who oversees hospitality at the restaurant and La Dimora, and Barbara, who runs the Cavour 1880 café and pastry show in Bergamo Alta.
Over the past 15 years, Da Vittorio has expanded to key international cities, from Saint Moritz, which opened in 2012, to Shanghai, which bowed in 2019. Both outposts hold two Michelin stars. The family also created DaV, a casual-dining format currently operating restaurants in Milan, Portofino and Brusaporto, while building a substantial catering and events business.
“Italian culture is, first and foremost, the art of hospitality: It is born in the family, lives around the dinner table, and is passed down through an authentic cuisine that strives for excellence every day. A heritage of values that continues to bring people together well beyond food.”
Maria Grazia Chiuri
Chief creative officer, Fendi
After exiting Dior as artistic director of women’s collections in May 2025 after nine years, Maria Grazia Chiuri was appointed chief creative officer of Fendi in October 2025. It is a return to the Rome-based brand for Chiuri, as the designer kicked off her career there in 1989, helping to boost its accessories offer. In a departure from the past, Chiuri today is in charge of Fendi’s men’s and women’s collections as well as couture.
In 1999, Chiuri joined Valentino Garavani and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti at Valentino, staying there for 17 years, including eight in her role as co-creative director with Pierpaolo Piccioli following the founders’ retirement.
The designer has developed a reputation as a hitmaker, contributing to the hugely successful Baguette bag at Fendi, the Rockstud pump at Valentino, and at Dior, building strong brand signatures such as the Bar jacket, pleated tulle skirts, goddess gowns and hit accessories like the Book Tote bag and the Slingback shoe, helping that company quadruple revenues from 2.2 billion euros in sales in 2017 to 8.7 billion euros in 2024, according to HSBC estimates.
Chiuri also has a personal investment in Rome’s Teatro della Cometa, which she restored more than five years ago.
“Italian culture is special because it is characterized by inclusivity across different disciplines and sectors — art, fashion, architecture, design, cinema.…It holds together creativity and production, the material and the immaterial dimension. And Italian identity is still — fortunately — synonymous with hospitality, dialogue and exchange, which are the conditions for cultivating intuitions, visions and innovations. Making dreams come true.”
Giuseppe Cipriani
President and CEO, Cipriani Group
The grandson of the founder of Venice’s Harry’s Bar, Giuseppe Cipriani has overseen the company through a dynamic period of growth and transition, well beyond its restaurant operations. Under his leadership Cipriani’s distinct Venetian vision has led to the opening of hotels, residences, event venues and private members’ clubs Casa Cipriani across international markets. The group’s projects imbue Italian cuisine and service with a highly recognizable Venetian aesthetic.
“Italian culture is the art of living well: a love for beauty, good taste, craftsmanship, and conviviality; the instinct to find meaning in the everyday, turning even the simplest moment into something worth remembering. What makes it special is that history, art, and tradition are not simply preserved — they are lived, and naturally expressed through hospitality.”
Pierluigi Cocchini
CEO, Europe, Central Group
Pierluigi Cocchini’s promotion to his current role at Thailand’s Central Group earlier this year is the result of his previous, significant impact as chief executive officer of Rinascente, Italy’s leading department store that is part of the group’s portfolio, along with the likes of KaDeWe in Germany, Globus in Switzerland, Illum in Denmark and Selfridges Group.
Since joining Rinascente in 2017, Cocchini has led the retailer’s growth and evolution, overseeing the opening of a new unit on Rome’s Via del Tritone in 2017, as well as major renovation plans for other units among its nine flagships across the country. In particular, the revamped Turin store was unveiled in 2019, while in 2020 Rinascente reopened the revamped second unit in Rome located on Piazza Fiume and the Florence store near Piazza della Signoria. That year, the retailer also completed the renovation of the three levels dedicated to women’s fashion of its crown jewel, the Milan flagship overlooking the Duomo cathedral. This location soon will be flanked by an adjacent space entirely dedicated to beauty, which Cocchini revealed in 2024 and is poised for completion by May 2027.
“Italian culture is difficult to explain, but remarkably easy to recognize. For us, beauty is a way of thinking. It is not enough for something to work; it should also inspire, move and create meaning.
“Italians are at their best one-on-one. Put us in front of a problem, a client or a blank sheet of paper, and we are hard to beat. When, instead, we have to organize ourselves in groups of a hundred…let’s just say we prefer to leave a little room for individual talent.
“We don’t like to copy. We prefer to create, reinterpret and improve. That is how, for centuries, we have turned ideas into style, products into culture and businesses into excellence.
“Yes, we talk a lot. But conversation, for us, is never a waste of time. It is where ideas take shape, trust is built and relationships begin.
“Perhaps that is Italy’s real secret: transforming complexity into creativity and everyday life into beauty. Because beauty, for us, is not something to admire from a distance. It is something to live.
“Because in Italy…Bellezza is more than beauty.”
Roberto Coin
Founder and CEO, Roberto Coin
After early stints in hotel management, the bubbly Roberto Coin ventured into jewelry drawn by his passion for art and fashion. After founding his first brand as early as 1977, he gained international recognition with the 1996 launch in Vicenza of his eponymous label, hinged on expressive designs imbued with storytelling tied to art, architecture and nature.
Roberto Coin pieces have garnered fans including Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez, Cynthia Erivo, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry, among others. In 2025, Dakota Johnson was named a global brand ambassador of the brand.
After developing a sizable business in the U.S. and becoming the sixth-largest jewelry brand in the country, Roberto Coin’s local subsidiary was acquired by the Watches of Switzerland Group operating as an independent, stand-alone company within the group, with the Coin family retaining a seat on the board of directors. The brand has continued to operate independently in regions outside North and Central America.
A pioneer in implementing ethical and sustainable practices, as a member of the board of directors of the World Diamond Council, Coin helped establish the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme alongside the United Nations.
“What makes Italian culture special is the extraordinary legacy of beauty, creativity, and human ingenuity that has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Italy is the birthplace of the Renaissance, a country where art, architecture, craftsmanship, and innovation have shaped not only our history, but the way we look at the world.
“I often think of Italy as the most beautiful stage in the world, a place where talent can be expressed freely and transformed into something meaningful. Everywhere you look, there is inspiration: in our cities, our landscapes, our art, and our traditions. Creativity is part of our DNA.
“For me, jewelry is a natural extension of this culture. Every jewel begins with a dream, an emotion, a vision, an idea waiting to be brought to life. Through creativity, passion, and craftsmanship, that dream becomes something tangible, something that can be worn, cherished, and passed on through generations.
“What makes Italy unique is this ability to transform beauty into culture, culture into creativity, and creativity into dreams. And then, through the hands of talented artisans and creators, turn those dreams into reality.”
Marco Credendino
Cofounder and CEO, Artemest
Marco Credendino is the cofounder and chief executive officer of Artemest, the online platform specializing in Italian handmade furniture, lighting, decor, art and lifestyle products. He launched the company in 2015 with designer and entrepreneur Ippolita Rostagno, who serves as its creative director. As CEO, he is evolving Artemest from an online curator of Italian craftsmanship to becoming a full-scale design house. In 2026, the firm unveiled Artemest’s first proprietary collection of furniture under the Artemest Collection brand, designed by Christine and John Gachot of New York’s Gachot. Exercising its potential further, the firm also unveiled a luxury model residence on the 85th floor of The Greenwich, a high-end residential tower in New York City designed by Rafael Viñoly and MAWD.
“What makes Italian culture special is our instinct for making things beautifully and making them last. Craftsmanship is deeply rooted in our culture. Knowledge is passed down through generations, combined with an incredible ability to constantly reinterpret tradition. That balance between heritage, creativity and obsession with quality is uniquely Italian.”
Brunello Cucinelli
Executive chairman and creative director, Brunello Cucinelli
The son of a farmer, Brunello Cucinelli learned to sew from his mother, and when he was 25 he sold his first 53 women’s cashmere sweaters, planting the seeds of his company, publicly listing it in 2012 and growing it — albeit at a “graceful and gentle” pace, he is fond of saying — to reach sales of more than 1.4 billion euros. His company is headquartered in the 14th-century hilltop medieval village of Solomeo, which he restored, and which today also encompasses a theater, an amphitheater, the Aurelian Neo-humanistic Academy, which hosts seminars on philosophy, history, architecture and spirituality. There’s also a vineyard, a library and a school of arts and crafts that teaches masonry, gardening and farming, tailoring, knitting, cutting and sewing, darning and mending.
One of his long-standing priorities has been to give moral and economic dignity to artisanal work and through the Fondazione Brunello e Federica Cucinelli, whose goal is “the improvement and beauty of humanity,” he has helped restore the third-century B.C. Etruscan Arch in Perugia, launched Projects for Humanity and is building a Universal Library in Solomeo.
“History, humanity, spirituality and some genius, I believe, make Italians and their humanistic culture special to the eyes of the world.”
Read about more influential figures, from D to L and M to Z.
