Fashion’s leading humanist launches a new initiative to inspire public engagement and urban care in his native Umbria.
Brunello Cucinelli is extending his long-standing ethos of humanistic capitalism beyond the atelier and into the streets of Perugia. The designer and entrepreneur unveiled a new initiative Thursday titled “Week of Guardianship,” a civic project aimed at raising public awareness and encouraging shared responsibility for preserving the city’s urban and natural beauty.
The initiative will take place from September 15 to 21 in Perugia, the capital of the Umbria region, just nine miles from Solomeo—home to the Brunello Cucinelli headquarters. Developed in partnership with the Municipality of Perugia, the Umbria Region, and the University for Foreigners of Perugia, the project seeks to promote a deeper civic culture through practical action.
The effort is grounded in the simple principle that small, local gestures can collectively contribute to the aesthetic and cultural vitality of a city. Residents will be encouraged to participate in light maintenance of their immediate environments—whether by refreshing the facade of their homes, tending to plants, or cleaning the spaces that frame their daily lives. The idea is to instill a culture where civic pride and beauty are a shared responsibility, not solely the remit of public authorities.
Cucinelli has consistently expressed his belief that care for the environment—both natural and built—is fundamental to human dignity and well-being. He frames this initiative in continuity with historical ideals, invoking both ancient Athenian principles of public virtue and Roman concepts of civic beauty as cornerstones of a well-functioning society.
The project is also designed to challenge the common perception that public spaces are exclusively the concern of government. Instead, it encourages individual engagement as a path toward fostering collective identity and belonging—an objective supported by Vittoria Ferdinandi, the mayor of Perugia, who views the initiative as an opportunity to strengthen citizens’ connection to their city.
Details of the project will be presented to local associations and businesses at a meeting on Friday evening at the Teatro Cucinelli in Solomeo. The agenda for the week will be shaped in collaboration with community stakeholders.
For Cucinelli, the project represents another dimension of his broader vision of capitalism rooted in cultural and spiritual values. It is, in his view, one more step toward restoring dignity—not only to the city, but to its people.