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What’s This About
Loro Piana is expensive mainly because it buys rare, very fine fibres such as baby cashmere and vicuña, makes its clothes in Italy and charges a luxury-house premium, but a high price alone does not prove higher quality.
This guide explains what a Loro Piana price pays for and how to judge it, such as:
How little fibre a cashmere goat kid or a vicuña gives
Why vicuña garments cost far more than cashmere
What The Gift of Kings and the Record Bale are
Dated price examples from reputable reports
Cheaper ways to get the same quiet look
and many more!
Pay for the fibre you will feel every day, not for the name.
Key Points
01LVMH dates Loro Piana to 1924 in Quarona and has owned a majority stake since 2013.
02A vicuña gives about 150 grams of fibre per shearing, according to Bloomberg in March 2024.
03Bloomberg reported a vicuña sweater at about $9,000 in 2024.
04Compare the same garment from other makers before deciding the price is worth it.
Loro Piana’s prices surprise most people the first time they see them, even by luxury standards.
This guide explains what those prices pay for, using dated reports and the company’s own descriptions, and separates documented facts from marketing.
It ends with clear criteria for deciding whether a Loro Piana garment is worth it to you, and outfits built on the brand’s look.
Loro Piana in Brief
According to its owner LVMH, the company was founded in 1924 by Pietro Loro Piana in Quarona, in Piedmont, and LVMH announced on 8 July 2013 that it had bought an 80% stake.
Loro Piana makes cloth as well as clothes, and it is best known for very fine cashmere, vicuña and merino wool in plain designs without visible logos.
For a wider look at the brand, its best-known garments and how to wear them, see what makes Loro Piana special.
Why Loro Piana Costs So Much
Like any luxury house, Loro Piana sets its prices; it does not publish a cost breakdown, so any exact split into fibre, labour and profit is a guess.
What can be said with confidence is which costs it carries that most clothing brands do not.
The biggest single reason is the fibre, because Loro Piana buys some of the rarest and finest fibres used in clothing.
1. Baby cashmere
Baby cashmere comes from cashmere goat kids that are combed once, before their first birthday.
Document Journal reported in November 2018 that Loro Piana’s baby cashmere comes from kids in the Alashan region of Inner Mongolia, measures about 13.5 microns, and yields about 30 grams of raw fibre per kid.
With so little fibre from each animal, a single jumper needs the combings of many kids, which is the main reason baby cashmere costs more than ordinary cashmere.
The result is very soft, light knitwear that is also more delicate, so it needs gentle washing and folding rather than hanging.
2. Vicuña
The vicuña is a wild camelid of the high Andes, closely related to the llama and the wild ancestor of the alpaca, as Britannica explains.
Its fibre is among the finest used in clothing, under 13 microns, and Bloomberg Businessweek reported in March 2024 that each animal now gives about 150 grams of fibre when it is sheared.
Vicuñas are rounded up and sheared about once every two years, then released, so the supply is small and cannot be increased quickly.
Peru licensed Loro Piana in 1994 as one of the first companies allowed to buy vicuña fibre legally, and the same Bloomberg report described it as the main buyer from the Lucanas community.
Bloomberg put a Loro Piana vicuña sweater at about $9,000 in major cities in 2024, and reported that the community was paid about $280 per kilogram of fibre in 2023, down from $420 in 2012.
Those figures show how much of a vicuña price is added after the fibre leaves the community, by spinning, weaving, making, shops and the brand.
3. The Gift of Kings and the Record Bale
The Gift of Kings is Loro Piana’s name for clothing made from its finest merino wool.
Established in 1997, its Record Bale award now goes to farms in Australia and New Zealand that produce the finest bale of merino, and LVMH says that every bale entered is bought by Loro Piana for The Gift of Kings garments.
The 2025 winning bales, announced by LVMH on 3 April 2026, measured 10.4 microns from Australia and 11.2 microns from New Zealand.
Wool this fine is scarce and costly to spin, and it feels smooth against the skin, though it is also less hard-wearing than coarser suiting wool.
4. Cloth treatments and outerwear
Storm System is Loro Piana’s treatment for making cloth resist rain and wind, and its garment labels describe it as giving rain and wind protection.
For how far that protection goes in real weather, see our guide on whether you can wear Loro Piana in the rain.
Treat any water-resistant cloth as protection from showers rather than a substitute for a waterproof shell in heavy rain.
5. Italian making and heavy knitwear
Loro Piana’s labels state that its garments are made in Italy, where wages and small-workshop production cost more per garment than large factories in lower-wage countries.
Chunky knitwear like the jumper below uses much more yarn than a fine-gauge jumper, which adds noticeably to the price when the yarn is cashmere.
6. The brand, shops and advertising
Some of any luxury price pays for the name, shops in expensive streets, staff and advertising rather than the garment itself.
That premium is the main reason a similar cashmere jumper can cost much less from a less famous maker.
What the Price Does Not Tell You
A high price does not guarantee that a garment will last longer, because very fine fibres are softer but usually less hard-wearing than coarser ones.
It does not guarantee how every garment was made either: in July 2025 a Milan court placed Loro Piana under judicial administration over worker exploitation at subcontractors, and on 17 April 2026 Loro Piana announced that the court had ended the measure early, after the company tightened supplier checks, as AFP reported.
It also does not mean the look depends on the label, because the brand’s style rests on cloth, colour and cut, which any careful buyer can copy.
Where the Money Goes, by Garment
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Garment | What raises the cost | A cheaper way to a similar look |
|---|---|---|
| Baby cashmere jumper | Very fine fibre, little of it per goat kid | A plain jumper in good-quality cashmere |
| Vicuña coat or knit | The rarest fibre, small supply, long processing | A camel coat in wool or cashmere |
| The Gift of Kings suit or knit | Ultrafine merino from award-winning bales | A suit or knit in fine merino from a good mill |
| Storm System outerwear | Treated luxury cloth, Italian making | A water-resistant wool or cotton car coat |
Is Loro Piana Worth It?
It depends on what you value, so judge it on these criteria rather than on the price alone.
Materials: the fibres are genuinely rare and fine, which shows most clearly in knitwear and scarves.
Durability: very fine cashmere and wool suit occasional wear better than daily heavy use.
Value: compare the same garment from other makers, because some of every price pays for the name and the shops.
Ethics: a luxury label is not a guarantee of how every garment in the supply chain was made, as the 2025 court case shows.
Use: buy where you will notice the difference every day, such as a plain cashmere jumper, rather than a trend-led design.
On balance, a plain Loro Piana knit or scarf can be a sensible purchase if softness matters to you and you can afford it, while vicuña and statement outerwear are hard to justify on anything but personal preference.
How to Wear the Loro Piana Look
Loro Piana’s clothes are often linked with the old money style, a contemporary label for understated classic dressing rather than a guide to anyone’s background or wealth.
Wear: a pale blue or grey crew-neck jumper, a white Oxford shirt, navy chinos and brown suede loafers.
Wear: a navy unstructured jacket, a cream knitted polo shirt, navy pleated trousers and navy suede trainers or loafers.
Wear: a camel overcoat, a cream roll-neck, grey flannel trousers and dark brown suede shoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is Loro Piana so expensive?
The price covers rare fibres such as baby cashmere and vicuña, Italian making, and the name, shops and marketing of a luxury house owned by LVMH.
Q. Why is vicuña so expensive?
Each wild vicuña gives only a small amount of very fine fibre every two years or so, and the supply is controlled by conservation rules in the Andes.
Q. Is Loro Piana better quality than other cashmere brands?
Its fibres are very fine, but a high price alone does not prove quality, so compare fibre, knit density, seams and fit with other makers.
Q. How should I care for Loro Piana knitwear?
Follow the care label, fold knitwear instead of hanging it, and store it clean with protection from moths.
Sources
LVMH, “Loro Piana joins the LVMH Group”, press release, 8 July 2013.
Document Journal, on the origin of Loro Piana’s baby cashmere, November 2018.
Britannica, “Vicuña”.
Bloomberg Businessweek, “The Vicuñas and the $9,000 Sweater”, 2024.
LVMH, “Loro Piana announces winners of 2025 Record Bale Award in Tokyo”, April 2026.
AFP via FashionUnited, “Exploited labour: Loro Piana (LVMH) is no longer under judicial administration”, 21 April 2026.
Styling Beyond Loro Piana
Knowing what a brand offers is a useful start, but your own wardrobe works best when it suits your build, your colouring and the occasions you dress for.
Our guide to styling by occasion, location, season and time of day explains how to adapt outfits to each setting.
Further reading: dressing for your body shape, seasonal colour palettes, garments, accessories and our list of high-priced heritage brands.
Take our three quizzes, then book a consultation if you would like personal help.
1. Check Your Body Shape
Start with our body shape quiz for men.
2. Find Your Seasonal Colours
Then take our seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Find Your Fashion Style
Then take our fashion style quiz for men, and read more about personal fashion style.
Personal Help From The VOU
Our styling services for men are paid consultations; the shop page lists what each one includes.
You can read about The VOU and our image consultants and fashion stylists before you book.
To ask a question first, contact us.