Loro Piana Ankle Boots Open Walk Rib Knit Wish Loafers Shoes Slippers Shoe

The Finest Wool in the World: The Legacy of Loro Piana Amongst every luxury commodity, certain brands grow into veritable behemoths following years of growth and consistently exceptional product. When looking at the massive numbers these companies churn out year after year, it's easy to forget their humble origins. In the lucrative world of cashmere and fine fabrics, Loro Piana stands above the pack. Originally a family-run company, the cashmere connoisseur was bought by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group (LVMH) in 2013 for an eye-popping 2 billion euros, and after decades of quitely producing some of the finest fabrics in the world—with prices that often sit in the tens of thousands of dollars—the company was suddenly pushed into the fashion limelight. To understand the purported reasoning why Loro Piana fetches such a princely sum, you need to understand a family that has traded textiles since the 1800s, then simple wool merchants in Northern Italy. Throughout the nineteenth century, the Loro Piana family developed a network of textile suppliers, before ultimately founding a wool mill themselves in the Italian village of Quarona. Nestled between the Quaronian foothills still sits the company headquarters, its exterior walls covered in decades-old ivy. Pietro Loro Piana was better known as an engineer rather than a textile producer, when he completed the Quarano headquarters in 1924. Perhaps it was his structural background that pushed him to seek out foundational stability—for both the newly built office space and the family business as a whole. With almost a century's worth of experience trading wool, and decades producing it, the Loro Pianas could easily have stayed the course. Instead, Pietro pushed to shape the company as we know it today, founding the Lanificio Fratelli Lora e Compagnia factory—and subsequently the Lanificio di Quarona di Zignone & C.—in Valsesia at the beginning of the twentieth century and ramping up production. If Pietro is the one responsible for devising the corporate structure for the current Loro Piana, it was his nephew, Franco Loro Piana, who consolidated the company's textile distribution arm, expanding the family's reach across the globe. Following World War II, Franco saw an opportunity to export fine fabrics outside of Italy, and throughout the '40s, '50s and '60s, Loro Piana grew from providing Italian tailors with fabric to being the fashion world's purveyor of luxurious threads. More Savile Row tailors than not offer Loro Piana fabrics and by the time Franco stepped down, top designers and manufacturers from Milan, Tokyo, Paris and New York were using Loro Piana textiles, with giants like Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani relying on the Loro Piana family for the basis of their collections. In the 1970s, Franco's sons, Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana took the reigns and, like their father before them, saw an opportunity to take the family business to new heights. Pier Luigi recalls buying fabric from his father to sell ties while he was studying at a university in Milan—he sold a fair amount of ties, but failed a fair amount of exams. After speaking with his father, Pier Luigi understood he needed “to finish university before joining the family business.” But, that desire to take the luxurious Loro Piana fabrics and turn them into finished goods would remain a driving force for both Pier Luigi and his brother. Firmly entrenched as a supplier to the most prestigious brands in the world, Sergio and Pier Luigi sought to turn Loro Piana into a luxury brand in and of itself, producing seasonal menswear and womenswear collections sold through select high end retailers and through Loro Piana flagship stores. In 1994, the brothers established the brand's dual identity: there is Loro Piana, supplier of the finest textiles in the world and there is Loro Piana, purveyor of premium finished menswear and womenswear. Sergio and Pier Luigi turned Loro Piana into a vertically integrated company that controls the quality of its product from conception to distribution, ensuring that both the textiles and craftsmanship are of the highest standard. It was a change of course for the company that paid of in spades. Today, Loro Piana finished goods account for roughly 70% of the company's sales, while the remaining share comes from supplying fabric to tailors, designers, and couturiers. On both accounts, as a supplier and finished garment manufacturer, Loro Piana's prestige can be boiled down one factor: Loro Piana is the largest single buyer of fine wools in the world and the premier purveyor of cashmere worldwide. The company is uncompromising in its commitment to finding—and then using—the best textiles in the world. While Pietro, Franco, and their ancestors didn't skimp on the quality of the fabrics they traded, Sergio and Pier Luigi introduced a new gamut of incredibly rare and fine textiles from around the world that elevated Loro Piana to a new level of luxury. Cashmere had long been considered to be one of, if not the, most luxurious fabric. In addition to being the world's foremost supplier of the soft textile, however, Loro Piana distinguished itself through the discovery and implementation of baby cashmere. Loro Piana cashmere is harvested from the undercoat of Hircus goats, with the finest batches of the fiber coming from animals in Northern China and Mongolia. When the brothers discovered baby cashmere, previously mixed with the fibers collected from adult Hircus goats, they saw its potential to revolutionize the family business. Following a decade of lobbying and building relationships, Sergio and Pier Luigi finally convinced the Mongolian and Chinese goat herders to have the exceptionally rare fiber set aside for them. To illustrate how rare the Baby Cashmere is, an adult Hircus goat can supply about 250 grams per year—though the totally usable material produced by each animal is about 100 grams once coarse outer layers are discounted. By contrast, baby cashmere is harvested once—when the kid is between three and twelve months old—and produces just 80 grams, only 35 grams of which are usable. Despite being exceedingly rare—Loro Piana produces these pieces in very limited quantities—Baby Cashmere is considerably finer and lighter, while still just as warm. This exhausting exercise, plus the steep price it demands, is a perfect example of the companies steadfast commitment to luxury–and the massive profits it has rewarded Loro Piana. The company is also a pioneer in the sourcing and implementation of merino wool. Harvested from Merino Sheep in Australia and New Zealand, Loro Piana is also the sole purchaser of Pecora Nera, a rare, black merino wool. Unbeknownst to many, sheep were initially bred to produce white wool—which could then easily be dyed. Before the animals were domesticated, however, they produced dark wool that ranged in color from brown to black. By using Pecora Nera, Loro Piana produces garments that possess a unique, dynamic range of dark tones that require no additional dyes. Much like baby cashmere, the use of Pecora Nera typifies the genius of Loro Piana: scour the world to discover premium fibres, ensure exclusivity and then harness their natural wonder to produce stunning garments and luxurious textiles.The company's crowning achievement, however, is the use of Vicuna. A small member of the camel family, both in stature and in population, the Vicuña looms large over the Andes. Sacred to the Incas, the so called “Queen of the Andes” is internationally acclaimed for it's beautiful tan-coloured, lightweight and hyper-soft fleece. Extensively poached, first by Spanish colonizers and, more recently, by criminals, the population was nearly decimated, falling to a mere five thousand in the '60s. In 1994, Loro Piana struck a deal with the Peruvian government and local communities to give the Italian company “the exclusive honor of buying, processing and exporting vicuña in the form of textiles and finished products.” Trading vicuña had already been banned in their native Peru in an attempt to save the species, but poachers were still decimating the population. Since Loro Piana stepped in, they have ensured that the animals are not killed, but instead combed for their precious fibers once every two years. Additionally, the company shears the animals according to the Incan Chakku tradition, in respect of indigenous peoples that worship the animals. In neighboring Argentina, Loro Piana similarly acquired a majority stake in a local company with permission to shear the vicuña living in the province of Catamarca. Loro Piana claims vicuña to be "the rarest fiber in the world; the adult animals produce just 250 grams of fiber every two years and after the de-hairing process, this results in less than 150 grams." Like cashmere, the resulting fabric is exceedingly soft and light, and boasts a quasi-otherworldly ability to retain body heat. Exponentially more rare than cashmere, only 12 tonnes of vicuña are produced annually, with each kilo of raw fabric worth around $500. Referred to as the “Fibre of the Gods” in Incan culture, today it fetches a princely sum: the company's classic Icer Jacket retails for $20,000. In addition to the price, the Icer Jacket is a quintessential Loro Piana piece: it takes a textile revered for generations—vicuña—and offers it in a contemporary way, outfitted with the brand's proprietary StormSystem technology. An uber-luxurious equivalent of Gore-Tex, StormSystem harnesses the power of osmosis and micromolecular science to create a stain-resistant, hydrophobic barrier that prevents moisture from penetrating garments, but still allows for humidity to escape. Loro Piana doesn't only strive for greatness in the realm of 'traditional' textiles like wool and cashmere, they also seek to be at the cutting edge of contemporary technologies and possess a unique ability to blend tradition and modernity. Then again, if you're paying thousands—and, sometimes, tens of thousands—of dollars for a piece, it's expected that it'll be nothing but the absolute best. The Icer Jacket also represents what makes Loro Piana such an influential, and popular, brand in the luxury goods market: the jacket is relatively casual. "Loro Piana's innovation was to use [quality fabrics] in casualwear...in the 1990s, we were the first to make a cashmere ski jacket - backing it with a waterproof and windproof membrane," said Pier Luigi Loro Piana to the Telegraph. Beyond offering suits made from the finest fabrics, the company pioneered what Pier Luigi called “Monday to Monday” luxury: applying fabrics traditionally reserved for suiting and applying them to weekend clothing. While there's no denying that casual luxury certainly represents a big chunk of Loro Piana's appeal —and market share— Pier Luigi may have been underselling Loro Piana's achievements over the last two decades.The company has also developed a Patagonia-esque commitment to sustainability by maintaining and fostering the ecosystems from which their naturally marvelous textiles derive. There is the guarantee they gave to the Peruvian government to not kill the vicuña when shearing them, which has allowed the animal's population to double since the 1994 agreement and has helped save the animal from extinction. The company also created the Dr. Franco Loro Piana Reserve in Peru, which was the first private nature reserve in the country. During the first five years, the number of animals living in the protected area doubled. This commitment to sustainability and the company's emphasis on working with local stakeholders is an integral part of Loro Piana's business strategy: without ensuring the continued survival of the immensely knowledgeable local population, the animals and the surrounding ecosystem alike, it would be impossible for the company to offer their rare fabrics. Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy certainly thought that Loro Piana was more than just a purveyor of casual cashmere when they bought 80% of the company from the family in 2013. The largest luxury conglomerate in the world, LVMH—which owns Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Christian dior , Loewe and Kenzo, among many others—paid $2.2 billion for a controlling stake in the company. The remaining 20% ​​remained in the hands of the Loro Pianas, until Pier Luigi sold off half of his shares in 2017, bringing the family's stake down to 15%. Many feared that by changing hands, the brand would lose its magic—after all, the company, in its current form, had been family-run for over 90 years and the long-standing relationships between the Loro Pianas and suppliers in the far- reaches of the world had had a tremendously positive impact on the brand. But, any fears of a dramatic decline have proven to be largely unfounded. Since changing hands, Loro Piana has become increasingly present in the mainstream—at least compared to the limited exposure that its hyper-niche luxury market afford it. Sure, there was a curiosity factor that drove some newfound interest in the brand: people wanted to know why LVMH acquired the company and why its garments were so expensive; but there has also been a series of collaborations—including maharishi, Isaia, Canada Goose and recently Mackintosh—that have pushed the brand onto the radar of new radical customers, different than traditional Loro Piana enthusiasts. There's no better example of this than the brand's recurring partnership with Supreme. While ostensibly the streetwear stalwart and luxury fabric manufacturer have little, if anything, in common. Yet, they have repeatedly managed to create capsule collections that appeal to both brands' consumers. The resulting product has ranged from bucket hats to wool overcoats. And, while the collaboration with Supreme originated before LVMH purchased the controlling stake in the company, it persisted after Loro Piana changed hands. It's a partnership that is indicative of the one place where LVMH's impact has been most felt: the public perception of the brand. “It's a question largely of communication,” explained then-CEO Matthieu Brisset, appointed by LVMH, to Business of Fashion. Yes, Loro Piana will always offer pieces that cost tens of thousands of dollars, but there are cashmere sweaters that are priced in the same range as other designer brands. BoF, citing ContactLab, estimates that between the Spring/Summer to Fall/Winter 2015 season, Loro Piana introduced items that were 30% less expensive, while the median price of items dropped by 2%. It's a tactic that LVMH has used in the past with brands under its umbrella to help grow the customer base and, thus, revenues. 10 Things You Need to Know About Loro Piana - From it's rich heritage in the finest wools and craftsmanship to exquisite leather goods, Loro Piana launches its first e-commerce phase in the region, exclusively for the UAE. 1. A heritage steeped in high-quality craftmanship- Originally from Trivero, the Loro Piana family became wool fabric merchants in the early nineteenth century. They later transferred to Valsesia, where today's company was founded on April 4, 1924, by Pietro Loro Piana. – Following the war, his nephew, Franco Loro Piana carved a reputation for high-quality fashion woolen fabrics and drapery.– The sixth generation of the family comprised of a complimentary and brilliant brotherhood – Pier Luigi and Sergio Loro Piana, who entered the company in the 70s, taking over from their father as CEOs. – The luxury goods division was born in the 1980s with products developed to accompany life at leisure, balancing the need for both elegance and function. – Acquired by LVMH in 2013, the house continues to produce high-quality craftsmanship to the needs of clients' everyday lives. 2. Exclusive cashmere– Cashmere is the superfine under-fleece of the Hircus adult goat, grown to protect from the extreme climate of the harsh, desert landscapes they inhabit.– Every goat produces only around 200-250g of under fleece each year. In spring, when the climate gets milder, goats naturally shed their coats and herders harvest cashmere by gently combing the animals. – Baby Cashmere is the fiber obtained from the underfleece of Hircus goat kids through a delicate combing process, taking place within the first 12 months of the animal's life, and only once in their lifetime. – It took Loro Piana 10 years to convince goat breeders to set aside the exiguous amounts of the kid's underfleece, ultimately establishing Baby Cashmere as one of the most exclusive fibers worldwide. 3. Protection of the precious Vicuña-Vicuña is one of the rarest and most precious fibers in the world, that can be found in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.– Hunted indiscriminately for its valuable fleece for more than four centuries, the vicuña was risking extinction. – In 1994 Loro Piana signed an agreement with the Peruvian government and the Andean communities, which granted the company the exclusive honor of buying, processing and exporting vicuña fiber obtained only from animals sheared alive. – Their commitment was renewed in 2008 with the creation of the “Reserva dr. Franco Loro Piana”, Peru's first private nature reserve. In this protected area of ​​2,000 hectares, the vicuñas are free to live wild. – Loro Piana also sources vicuña from Argentina and Bolivia with sustainable methods in collaboration with local populations. 4. Awarding excellence to promote sustainability - Every year Loro Piana recognizes and awards the work of breeders who have produced the finest fiber of wool (with the 'Record Bale' award), and of cashmere (with the 'Cashmere of the Year' award).– Since the Record Bale was launched in 1997, fiber has been refined by almost 25%. It is a continuous move towards the highest possible quality, and an incentive to work to achieve increasingly fine and qualitative wool. – Launched in 2015, the Cashmere of the Year Award aims to support and celebrate those who nurture the goats and harvest the rare cashmere. The award was established after the introduction of the 'Loro Piana Method' in 2009 in Inner Mongolia, promoting a sustainable development model that contributes to a balance between animals, environment and local populations, thus preserving the quality of cashmere. 5. Elegant interior decor– Producing exclusive fabrics for interior decoration offered to architects, interior decorators, and to the world's most discerning clients, they are carefully crafted from soft, enveloping cashmere, and the finest wools, linens, silks, and cottons, drawing inspiration from the colors of nature.– One of the last projects which embody the elegance of Loro Piana Interiors is linked to Villa d'Este, on Lake Como. In fact in 2019 Loro Piana completely refurbished Villa Cima, in the heart of Villa d'Este, with its interiors fabrics. – The inherent features of the space have been preserved and enhanced with interior fabrics, in shades of red burnt tones, in tribute to the villa's surroundings and to Loro Piana's trademark colors. 6. A vast and varied sporting background - Loro Piana has always been engaged in the world of sport with horse riding, sailing and golf contests and with historic cars. In 2007 they conceived the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta sailing event in Porto Cervo, and since 2016 has been the official supplier of the European team's uniforms at the Ryder Cup.– The world of sport has always represented the perfect laboratory and opportunity for Loro Piana to test new technical fabrics and finished garments with the new performances. 7. The Dubai flagship opening blending local culture with the brand's history– In November 2018, Loro Piana entered the Middle Eastern market with an immersive installation set in the sky garden of the Dubai Opera, celebrating a new store within the unparalleled Dubai Mall.– The multi-sensorial installation invited visitors to discover the secrets of the world's finest merino wool, one of Loro Piana's most exclusive treasures: Gift of Kings®.– Partnering with Tashkeel, and renowned artist El Seed , in order to celebrate local culture, the specific piece was inspired by an ancient poem written by King Alfonso X, the enlightened, cosmopolitan ruler of thirteenth-century Spain who played a pivotal role in the history of merino wool. 8. A cinematic tribute to the heroes behind Loro Piana– In October 2019 Loro Piana presented Cashmere – The Origin of a Secret, the first documentary in a trilogy directed by Luc Jacquet, Academy Award-winning director for the March of the Penguins. In these three films, the director explores the origin of the most iconic raw fibers for Loro Piana, stunning tributes to the brand's excellences: cashmere, vicuña, and The Gift of Kings®. 9. The origin story behind the iconic white soles– One of Loro Piana's most iconic and historic products is the white sole shoe: the Open Walk and the Summer Walk. Created as a stylish accessory for those passionate about sailing they rapidly gained popularity for their comfort, lightness and clean yet original shape. – The distinguishing detail of both models is their white sole, a giveaway of their nautical origins as white soles do not leave marks on the wooden decks of sailing yachts. 10. You can shop online in the region for the first time this Ramadan– For the holy month of Ramadan, the new Loro Piana e-commerce launches its first phase in the region, exclusively for the UAE.– Customers will now be able to order the same products on offer in Dubai Mall from the comfort of their own homes across all seven emirates, with same-day service, door-to-door delivery, and no additional charges.– A range of special products will be available exclusively on the local e-commerce site for buyers, including a variety of exquisite leather goods for women including a squared shoulder bag in ostrich leather and a small alligator pouch with gold detailing.

Amongst every luxury commodity, certain brands grow into veritable behemoths following years of growth and consistently exceptional product. When looking at the massive numbers these companies churn out year after year, it's easy to forget their humble origins. In the lucrative world of cashmere and fine fabrics, Loro Piana stands above the pack. Originally a family-run company, the cashmere connoisseur was bought by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group (LVMH) in 2013 for an eye-popping 2 billion euros, and after decades of quitely producing some of the finest fabrics in the world—with prices that often sit in the tens of thousands of dollars—the company was suddenly pushed into the fashion limelight. To understand the purported reasoning why Loro Piana fetches such a princely sum, you ne Amongst every luxury commodity, certain brands grow into veritable behemoths following years of growth and consistently exceptional product. When looking at the massive numbers these companies churn out year after year, it's easy to forget their humble origins. In the lucrative world of cashmere and fine fabrics, Loro Piana stands above the pack. Originally a family-run company, the cashmere connoisseur was bought by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group (LVMH) in 2013 for an eye-popping 2 billion euros, and after decades of quitely producing some of the finest fabrics in the world—with prices that often sit in the tens of thousands of dollars—the company was suddenly pushed into the fashion limelight. To understand the purported reasoning why Loro Piana fetches such a princely sum, you ne

• Condition: New with box
• Brand: Loro Piana
• Style: Loafers
• AU Shoe Size: 7
• Accents: Logo
• Vintage: No
• Pattern.: without
• Insole Material: Virgin Wool
• UK Shoe Size: 7
• Individualised: Nein
• Features: Motion Control, Breathable, Open walk loafers boots, Anti-Slip
• Theme: Classic, Novelty, Go Out, Clubwear, USA, Paris, American, Italian, Designer, University, 90s, Office & Computer, 80s, Stars, Holiday, Beach, Cowboy, Special Events, Disco, City, Outdoor, Cowgirl, College, Modern, Australia, Korean, Elegant, London, Logo, Job
• MPN: Open Walk Loafers Boots
• Shoe Width: Standard
• Type: Casual Shoes
• Closure: Slip On
• EAN: 4065163046643
• Character Family: LORO PIANA Ankle Boots Open Walk Rib Knit Wish® Loafers Shoes Sl
• US Shoe Size: 8
• Character: Boots open walk loafers, LORO PIANA Ankle Boots Open Walk Rib Knit Wish® Loafers Shoes Sl
• Model: Open walk loafers
• Department: Men's
• Outsole Material: Rubber
• Upper Material: Virgin Wool
• Lining Material: Leather
• Product Line: Open walk loafers boots
• Color: Gray
• Occasion: Workwear, Travel, Sports, Casual
• Shoe Point: Almond-shaped
• Season: Spring, Summer, Winter, Autumn
• EU Shoe Size: 41
• Handmade: No
• Fabric Type: Leather
• Damping Ratio: Normal
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Italy

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