Brioni: The Roman House of the Men's Suit
A tailor's shop on Via Barberini, the first menswear runway show at Palazzo Pitti, a factory in Penne and James Bond's suits. How to recognise the cut, what a Brioni suit costs and where to find one in Lisbon
A Brioni suit is something you understand the day you put one on and realise that a jacket can feel almost weightless on the shoulder, and that a lapel (the folded flap of cloth running down the front of the jacket) can lie flat without a single pucker. Brioni, the Roman tailoring house founded in 1945, has spent eight decades making men reconsider what a suit can be. This is the story of the house, what its jackets look like, who has worn them, and where you can find them in Lisbon today.
Who owns Brioni today, and how the Roman house began
The first Brioni shop opened in Rome in 1945 at Via Barberini 79, a short street that runs up from the Triton Fountain. The founders were Nazareno Fonticoli, a tailor from the town of Penne in the Abruzzo region, and Gaetano Savini, a businessman.
The name Brioni comes from the Brijuni islands, a small archipelago off the coast of Croatia that later became a national park.
In 1952 Brioni staged the first menswear runway show in modern fashion history. It took place in the Sala Bianca, the White Hall of Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Before that moment, men's tailoring had no runway. Buyers and journalists saw the clothes on live models walking in a line, and the idea that menswear could be presented the way women's fashion had been for decades began in that room. The same year, Brioni registered its polo-player logo, a small figure on horseback.
Brioni was among the first men's tailors to use bold colours and lighter cloth, slimmer shapes and a natural shoulder. A natural shoulder means the cloth follows the line of the body instead of widening it. In the conservative world of postwar tailoring, this was a quiet revolution.
In the 1950s Brioni took its shows to nine American cities. Clark Gable, John Wayne and Cary Grant all wore Brioni suits. The house was becoming a name that travelled beyond Rome into the wardrobes of men who could have worn anything.
In 1959 a factory opened in Penne, Fonticoli's home town in the Abruzzo hills. In 1985 the Scuola di Alta Sartoria, Brioni's own tailoring school, opened in Penne to pass the house's method on to the next generation. Brioni has run the school beside its factory ever since.
In 2011 Brioni was acquired by the French group PPR, which was renamed Kering in 2013. Kering, one of the largest fashion groups in the world, owns Brioni today. The CEO since May 2025 is Federico Arrigoni. The design director Norbert Stumpfl, who had held the role since 2018, left in December 2025. The current creative director has not been confirmed at the time of writing.
How to recognise Brioni suits by their cut
The shoulder is the first tell. Brioni's natural shoulder follows the line from the neck to the arm, smooth and gentle, without building it up. The cloth is lighter than the heavy suitings that came before the house, and the shape is slim: the jacket follows the body.
A Brioni jacket takes about 12,000 stitches, and only about 17 percent of those are visible from the outside. The rest are inside, where the construction of the jacket lives. The garment is pressed about 80 times during construction. Pressing means applying heat and steam with a heavy iron to set the shape at each stage, so the cloth remembers where it should fold and where it should lie flat.
In 2020 the company had 1,350 employees, including 1,000 tailors, working in workshops in the towns of Penne, Montebello di Bertona and Civitella Casanova in the Abruzzo hills.
Brioni suits men have worn on screen
Brioni dressed Pierce Brosnan in all his James Bond films, beginning with GoldenEye in 1995. Brosnan's Bond wore suits with a clean, slightly relaxed silhouette and a soft shoulder. The suits looked correct in a casino and correct in a car chase, and they set a standard for what a well-dressed secret agent should look like.
Daniel Craig wore Brioni in Casino Royale in 2006, his first film as Bond. Craig's Bond was leaner and more physical, and the Roman cut with its soft shoulder suited him.
Beyond Bond, Brioni has dressed actors, heads of state and business figures for decades. The relationship between Brioni and cinema goes back to the 1950s, when Clark Gable, John Wayne and Cary Grant wore the brand.
What a Brioni suit costs today
On the Brioni website, as of 22 September 2026, suits listed for delivery to Portugal range from €4,500 to €12,200. A navy glen plaid wool suit in the Brunico model is listed at €4,500; glen plaid, also called a Prince of Wales check, is a pattern of small and large checks woven into the cloth. A royal blue pinstriped suit in Super 210's wool in the same Brunico model is listed at €8,900; the "Super" number refers to the fineness of the wool fibre, so the higher the number, the thinner and softer the fibre.
These are ready-to-wear prices, for suits made to standard sizes. Brioni also offers a tailor-made service; its prices are not published.
Where to find Brioni in Lisbon in 2026
As of 22 September 2026, the Brioni website store locator lists no Brioni boutique in Portugal.
Brioni is listed, however, at El Corte Inglés Lisboa, the department store at Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar 31, a few streets north of Avenida da Liberdade. The El Corte Inglés website lists Brioni among its brands there. The selection carried by the store may differ from the full range on brioni.com, so it is worth calling ahead if you are looking for a specific model or size. No other addresses in Lisbon are confirmed to carry Brioni at the time of writing.
If this silhouette speaks to you
If the Roman silhouette appeals to you, the natural shoulder, the lightness, the way the jacket follows the body, it can be made to your measurements at ATELIER 23. Our atelier is on Avenida da Liberdade 110, here in Lisbon, and we hold cloth books from Loro Piana, Zegna, Vitale Barberis Canonico and Reda.
Come by for a coffee. Look through the cloth books. Meet the tailor. We take measurements only if you wish. The visit takes about an hour and commits you to nothing.
Brioni suit price, ownership and other questions
Who owns Brioni? Brioni is owned by Kering, the French fashion group that acquired the house in 2011, when the group was still called PPR. It was renamed Kering in 2013.
How much does a Brioni suit cost? On brioni.com, as of 22 September 2026, suits listed for Portugal start at €4,500 for a navy glen plaid wool suit and go up to €12,200. A royal blue pinstriped Super 210's wool suit is listed at €8,900.
Where can I buy a Brioni suit in Lisbon? The Brioni website store locator lists no boutique in Portugal as of 22 September 2026. Brioni is listed at El Corte Inglés Lisboa, Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar 31.
Why is the brand called Brioni? The name comes from the Brijuni islands, a small archipelago off the coast of Croatia that later became a national park.
Who made James Bond's suits? Brioni dressed Pierce Brosnan in all his James Bond films, starting with GoldenEye in 1995, and dressed Daniel Craig in Casino Royale in 2006.
Where are Brioni suits made? In the Abruzzo region of Italy, in workshops in the towns of Penne, Montebello di Bertona and Civitella Casanova. The factory in Penne opened in 1959. In 2020 the company employed 1,000 tailors.
What makes the Brioni cut recognisable? A natural shoulder, slim shapes, lighter cloth and bold colours. A Brioni jacket takes about 12,000 stitches, of which 17 percent are visible from outside, and is pressed about 80 times during construction.
Coffee, cloth books and the tailor
We will show you the cloth books from Loro Piana, Zegna, Vitale Barberis Canonico and Reda, introduce you to the tailor and take your measurements if you wish. The visit takes about an hour and commits you to nothing.
Sources: Wikipedia, Brioni (brand), and its sources (Robb Report, 2006; The Telegraph; The New York Times, 2011 and 2014); WWD and BoF, December 2025; brioni.com and elcorteingles.es, checked 22 September 2026.