Loro Piana celebrates its 100th anniversary with an immersive exhibition in Shanghai, showcasing its legacy of craftsmanship and dedication to the finest cashmere.
Bridging Italian craftsmanship and Chinese heritage, luxury house Loro Piana has unveiled its first-ever exhibition at the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) in Shanghai. Titled "If You Know, You Know. Loro Piana's Quest for Excellence," this immersive retrospective celebrates the brand's centenary while honoring its deep connection to China, particularly through its pursuit of the world’s finest cashmere.
A Historic Cultural Exchange
Running from March 22 to May 5, 2025, this exhibition marks the first time MAP has hosted a luxury fashion house in its prestigious gallery spaces. Curated by renowned exhibition-maker Judith Clark, known for her innovative and experimental approach, the retrospective spans over 1,000 square meters, unfolding across 15 rooms divided into three galleries.
"This immersive journey is conceptualized through landscapes with a sensory and tactile lens," explains Clark, who has previously curated major exhibitions at institutions like the V&A in London and Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
A Sensorial Journey Through Excellence
Visitors embark on a journey through Loro Piana's century-long evolution, beginning in Italy’s Valsesia region and culminating in the brand’s global reputation for understated luxury. The exhibition combines archival documents, contemporary artworks from the Sergio and Luisa Loro Piana Collection—featuring works by Lucio Fontana and Alberto Burri—and dramatic silhouettes showcasing the brand’s exceptional fibers and craftsmanship.
A standout feature is a laboratory-like installation illustrating the brand’s rigorous quality control process, with a giant microscope projection that magnifies Baby Cashmere fibers 35,000 times, offering a scientific glimpse into Loro Piana’s obsession with quality.
The Pursuit of the World's Finest Fibers
Coinciding with the exhibition’s opening, Loro Piana also presented the 9th and 10th editions of its Cashmere of the Year Award on March 20, 2025. This year’s ceremony celebrated a world record achievement: a new cashmere fineness of just 12.8 microns—more than one micron finer than last year’s record.
"The relationship with the farmers has been fundamental for us. We constantly try to understand what can be done together with them to reach a higher level of quality, so as to maintain the prestige of cashmere," says Pier Luigi Loro Piana.
For over 30 years, Loro Piana has cultivated lasting relationships with local herders in Inner Mongolia, ensuring the highest standards in cashmere. Each year’s winning producers receive not only financial rewards but also a silver comb symbolizing the cashmere gathering process, mounted on a wooden base with the winners' names engraved.
An Artistic Dialogue Between Cultures
The exhibition also fosters a meaningful cultural exchange, with Chinese artists contributing to the experience. Artistic director Guo Wenjing, composer Liu Hao, bamboo flautist Tang Junqiao, and pianist Tim Zhang collaborated to create a soundscape that merges Italian and Chinese traditions. Meanwhile, artist Qiu Zhijie’s six-meter-long ink-on-paper map reimagines the global landscape of Sinology.
Throughout the galleries, miniature landscapes capture the remote territories where Loro Piana sources its raw materials—New Zealand, the Andes, France, Japan, and Inner Mongolia. These vignettes serve as backdrops for 33 exclusive ensembles created specifically for the exhibition.
A Legacy of Understated Elegance
As visitors journey through the exhibition, they encounter spaces that reflect different facets of the Loro Piana ethos. The "Into Fashion" section showcases iconic pieces like the Traveller and Roadster jackets, while a Cocooning room with padded cashmere walls invites tactile exploration.
The exhibition concludes with an oversized cashmere sofa, designed by Italian designer Cini Boeri and upholstered in Loro Piana’s finest raw cashmere fabrics, offering a comfortable vantage point to admire Qiu Zhijie’s artwork.
In celebrating its centenary, Loro Piana has created more than just an exhibition; it has crafted a living testament to the enduring pursuit of excellence—one that transcends cultural boundaries and honors both its Italian heritage and profound connection to China.