Bend it like Bond with Brioni

By Mathures Paul
You can’t wear a Rolls-Royce, but you qualify for no less an elite circle if you sport a Brioni. And if you don’t know already, it’s the company that has been dressing James Bond since 1994 and it’s now available in India. It’s rather embarrassing to ask any Brioni representative a suit’s price because loyalists of the brand always have a few million to spare. The apparel range is priced between Rs 9,900-950,000, while a made-to-measure line, depending on the exclusivity of the fabric, can cost as much as Rs 15 lakh!
Exclusive suit designs, of course, are best found at Saville Row, which has influenced Nazareno Fonticoli, who helped establish the house of Brioni in 1947. Brioni introduced men to the ramp at a show held in 1952 in Palazzo Pitti in an era when fashion shows were synonymous with women’s wear.
“Brioni is considered the Rolls-Royce in fashion. It has different cuts to fit all body structures — thin, tall, short, stout, muscular; bodies with unnoticeable defects. Fabrics are of the utmost important and sourced from the best mills in the world,” says Kishor Bajaj, who has brought the brand to India.
Every Brioni outlet is carefully selected. Keeping in mind the brand’s image and its entry into India, it is available at The Oberoi, lobby level, at Nariman Point, Mumbai. It opened in January 2007. Keeping in tune with international standards, this plush Mumbai outlet is designed by Brioni architects and its visual team.
Quality, comfort and service make Brioni popular. Every suit is hand-stitched from the best fabrics in the world, with the minutest detail being taken care to give a comfortable fit and corporate look. You can pick up a Brioni in any of the following ways — off the shelf, made to measure, “where we have a trained staff take your measurements at the store or your residence or office, with your choice of fabric from an exclusive range along with the lining and buttons. The details are then sent to the manufacturing unit in Penne (Italy) where it is stitched and sent back in five weeks”. The third is called Nwa. For this, Brioni’s master tailor from Penne (Italy) comes to India with an exclusive collection of fabrics and by prior appointment takes your measurements, goes back to Penne and personally cuts and stitches your suit.
The clothing line’s Fall/Winter 2007-08 collection was recently unveiled — the Natural Nine features soft, easy contours and extremely lightweight fabrics.
The best design in the range is the Brionissimo, an exclusive 12-micron fabric (super 230s), which is used for the new made-to-measure limited collection. And there’s no lack of choice among the other 150 types of fabric: from Vicuna to the13-micron (200s), 14-micron (180s) in both brushed and satin finish, not to mention 15-micron (super 170s).
The next store is in Delhi. The location for Brioni is very important, and they open in five-star hotels. Yes, they are flagship stores and Kishor Bajaj has the exclusive franchise for India.