In the world of the wealthy, there’s an old saying: “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” In Italy, they express it with far more bite. “The first generation makes it, the second enlarges it and the third kills it,” says Luigi Fedeli with a laugh.
As the third generation to lead his family’s venerable Italian fashion house, he knows the adage well. “It’s what we say back home,” he says with a smile.
He can afford the humour. Luigi has upended the prophecy, quietly evolving Fedeli from a discreet Milanese gentleman’s outfitter into a full-fledged luxury label for both men and women. The house still remains under the radar, but its creations are admired by those who appreciate understatement.
The story begins modestly. Luigi’s grandfather – also named Luigi – was one of 13 children, many of whom were lost to the Spanish flu. Coming from nothing, he opened his first store in 1934, selling gentlemen’s hats in Monza, just outside Milan. A second store followed on Via Monte Napoleone in 1946, as the city emerged from the ruins of war and bombings. “My grandfather opened a shop called Red and Blue. It became famous for made-to-measure shirts. People came from all over the world,” says Luigi.
With a distinctly British sensibility, the shop sold ties, braces, handkerchiefs, belts and knitwear, all handmade to exacting standards. By the 1960s, it had become one of Italy’s cashmere specialists.
When Luigi later joined the family business, he felt its name should match its reputation and prestigious address. “Via Monte Napoleone was the most important street in the world,” he says. “Red and Blue didn’t feel right. So I changed it to Fedeli.”
He also streamlined the offering, bringing everything in-house and sharpening the focus on knitwear. Today, the brand creates the well-dressed man’s wardrobe – from technical outerwear to swim shorts – as well as womenswear. “In retail, you need everything,” he says. “But people still think of us as knitwear. That’s where our heart is. Innovation is essential, though, as you cannot grow if you stand still.”
Quietly, Fedeli has become one of Italy’s most admired houses. Its collections favour refined elegance – a pure cashmere fisherman’s-rib bomber; a long-sleeve shirt in organic Egyptian cotton; a crew neck spun from vicuna, one of the world’s rarest fibres. Womenswear is equally understated – a cashmere-silk hoodie; a feather-light brushed-wool Cambridge jacket; a pencil skirt in cashmere and wool. Everything is built around timeless, polished finesse.
This philosophy extends beyond the shop floor. Fedeli cashmere is sourced from select farms in Mongolia and spun in Biella, Italy; all cotton is organic; swimwear is partly made from recycled post-consumer plastic; and packaging has been redesigned to eliminate single-use plastics.
What truly distinguishes Fedeli in a crowded luxury landscape is its near-silence. Its pieces do not carry any logos, advertising is minimal and new customers arrive mostly by word of mouth. “We are a very silent brand,” Luigi says. “We are not loud.”
Instead, it caters to those with no need to announce their wealth. “People who have had money for a long time don’t need to prove it. When I see the names of those who buy Fedeli – people worth eight, nine billion – it makes me proud. They can buy anything, and they buy us.”
He cites Patek Philippe, Goyard and The Row as philosophical neighbours. “Something like a Patek Philippe, many people don’t even know what it is because it doesn’t look special. You could walk down the street in London or Milan wearing it without worrying. Or Goyard. They even do bags with the pattern on the inside so you cannot see it, yet every shop does incredibly well with queues outside. It’s the way they think – they want to be silent. This is the mentality. That’s the way we are.”
This mindset comes with an absolute refusal to compromise on quality. If a wealthy client requests a Fedeli piece strewn with logos, the answer is still no. “I don’t change my policy. That’s the way we are. If you like it, follow us. If you don’t, that’s OK.”
Fedeli’s reputation was further underscored in June 2023, when the Prada and Zegna groups each acquired a 15 per cent stake. Typically, such deals signal rapid expansion; instead, both shareholders have backed Luigi’s steady, deliberate approach. “Until now, they let me do what I want,” he says. “We’re growing slowly, but it’s OK. I don’t live for growth. I live for something else.”
This calm confidence follows decades of work. “I started working with my father and grandfather when I was young, only 20 or 22 years old, and now I’ve been working on my own for the past 16 or 17 years.
“I was very lucky to be able to lead the company with both of them. They taught me a lot. I don’t think I have made too many mistakes,” Luigi says with a smile.
There is an air of unhurried pursuit of perfection that defines the brand. Fedeli pieces are not mass-produced; they are carefully handmade by artisans with years of experience. Luigi notes that everyone in the company shares the same measured mindset. “The people working with me, they’re all the same. We all work with the idea of doing a good job, making a good product and working with people to have a good relationship. And that’s the most important thing for me.”
Beyond Fedeli, the wider luxury sector faces pressure over supply chains and labour practices. As a brand committed to producing exclusively in Italy, this is something Luigi takes seriously – and speaks about with rare candour. “The problem isn’t making in Italy – it’s how it’s made,” he explains. “Suppliers subcontract to others, who subcontract to others, and sometimes those people don’t work in fair conditions. If you’re paying someone three euros an hour for the work, that’s not ‘Made in Italy’, that’s slavery.”
Auditing every step of the supply chain – including the suppliers of his suppliers – is costly, Luigi admits, but essential. “It costs a lot of money. But it’s necessary. Being ‘Made in Italy’ must mean everything is done properly. I cannot look away. I mean, we are selling expensive things – everything has to be correct,” he says.
With Luigi’s son Niccolo, the fourth generation at Fedeli, joining in 2016 to grow the brand’s American market, the company continues its quiet expansion. In July, the brand opened its first regional store in Dubai Mall, and has operated a pop-up at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dubai since November last year – both launched with characteristic restraint, letting word spread naturally.
Listening to Luigi, one senses that his confidence stems from conviction rather than bravado. Fedeli’s allure lies in its integrity and its refusal to chase the noise of luxury. “People who know, know,” Luigi tells me. “And for us, that’s enough.”
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