Brunello Cucinelli just wants to be a good man.
The designer repeated that sentiment, passed down from his father, throughout the evening on Tuesday night in New York. Cucinelli was in town for the gala premiere of his docu-film “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” at Lincoln Center, a black-tie affair that reflected his namesake brand’s relaxed genre of luxury. Joined by family and friends, the designer turned the occasion into an opportunity to share the brand’s core message: be a good person.
“The film transmits the essence of our brand, of our family,” said Carolina Cucinelli, one of Brunello’s daughters and the brand’s vice president and co-creative director.
The film, which blends narrative and documentary storytelling, retraces Brunello Cucinelli’s humble childhood and path to establishing his brand through a commitment to quality, sustainability and community engagement.
“Just trust in yourself, and don’t turn the eyes to the people less fortunate than you,” said Carolina Cucinelli of her father’s enduring advice, iterated throughout the film. “And just follow your dream.”
The “follow your dream” message was particularly resonant for Jay Ellis and other creatives in the crowd.
“ Every day I go to work is a risk. I think every choice I’ve ever made is a risk,” said the actor, dressed in a dark brown velvet Brunello Cucinelli suit. “Choosing to leave Oklahoma and go to L.A. to pursue this crazy dream is a crazy risk. And fortunately, I’ve been able to do it and I love it, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Ellis had flown in from L.A. just for the event, and was joined on the carpet outside the theater by guests including “Beef” star Oscar Isaac, Naomi Watts, Shonda Rhimes, Grace Gummer, Allison Williams, Ryan Seacrest, Dree Hemingway and Sarah Catherine Hook.
On one end of the carpet, Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes offered up a buzzy “Dawson’s Creek” reunion photo op, while the three young actors who portray Brunello at various points of his childhood in the film mingled at the opposite end with various members of the extended Cucinelli family.
Carolina Cucinelli, Brunello Cucinelli, Federica Benda and Camilla Cucinelli and Riccardo Stefanelli.
Lexie Moreland/WWD
“ I didn’t sleep for days,” said Brunello about his reaction after seeing the film, which debuted in Milan last year. “ Because you relive the highlights of your life.”
The designer had another chance to relive the highlights among a new crowd of friends, settling into the front row of the David H. Koch Theater to watch the film alongside his family after greeting the crowd in Italian.
“ I’m so honored that you have come from so far away to take a look at this, which is the story of my life,” he said. “I wanted to retrace the story of my life, so that the next generations, my children and grandchildren, could listen to my words straight from the source.”
After the screening, the designer rose to a standing ovation and then beckoned the crowd to follow him upstairs to the promenade for a late post-screening dinner. Guests dined on a spread of appetizers accompanied by bottles of Brunello Cucinelli olive oil, followed by a plate of pasta and tomato sauce before closing out the evening with a round of tiramisu.
Grace Gummer
Lexie Moreland/WWD
