Loro Piana Introduces Novel Textiles While Honoring Equestrian Heritage
By Jesse Scott
Entitled "The Way We Were," Loro Piana's transcendent Fall-Winter 2025 collection was a love letter to the maison's rich history and the boundless landscapes that serve as its sartorial inspiration. The collection epitomized the timeless elegance that has always defined Loro Piana, hearkening back to a golden era of quiet luxury that was pioneered by the maison and long predated "quiet luxury" becoming a commonly-used term.
Yet it was also distinctively contemporary; "nostalgia" does not exist in the Loro Piana vocabulary. The maison has always cherished the same core values, which may be expressed in different ways as seasons and generations change but which remain achingly resonant at our current flashpoint and have the same indomitable longevity as the mountains and highlands from which the world's finest fabrics are sourced.
The legacy of Sergio Loro Piana permeated the entire collection. Sergio loved horses, and after discovering a decades-old photo of him riding, the design team was inspired to lead us on a nuanced equestrian-themed journey from Scotland to Argentina to New Zealand. From riding caps to ascots to stirrup-inspired buckles and other metal details, the DNA of the collection was intrinsically tied to horses, and anchored in the luxurious tan-heavy colour palette signature to both Loro and equestrian culture.
As the press was told, Sergio saw riding as a school of life teaching both perseverance and discipline. This is in many ways a metaphor for the Loro Piana design ethos, which demands nothing less than perfection, and, as the maison does not have a creative director, is rooted in a selfless spirit of teamwork.
Loro Piana Launches Revolutionary New Textiles
This season saw the maison debut two revolutionary new materials called Royal Lightness: a silk and cashmere blend and the first-ever fabric made from silk and merino wool. The result of two years of research and experimentation in the Loro Piana "labs" in Roccapietra and Quarona, Italy, the unprecedented materials push the boundaries of what is possible in the textile industry, showcasing the maison's pioneering spirit and unmatched technical prowess.
The Royal Lightness yarn combines Mulberry silk, which at just 21 deniers is the finest silk in the world, with a particular Merino wool sourced from Australia and New Zealand that measures just 13.5 microns. Just 0.05% of the world's annual production of merino wool is so thin, and most would deem it technically impossible to blend. Yet the Loro Piana team defied all expectations by developing a painstaking process that twists the yarn together in a way that enhances the qualities of each raw material.
Meanwhile, the Royal Lightness fabric sees silk thread wrapped around 15-micron cashmere, giving it an ethereal sheen. The maison completes the production process with fell stitching, an ancient method performed by hand with a thread and needle that is particularly technically demanding. The Rain Magazine team received an exclusive look at the raw materials at this season's presentation - divinely soft, they offer unprecedented comfort for the most discerning of clients.
Attending the Loro Piana presentation was a sensual multi-sensory experience. Walking through the collection was like reading a textile love story, one where every detail was carefully considered and every piece meticulously constructed. One of the collection's showstopping pieces was a wool jacket covered in 35,000 individual sequins that took over 300 hours to assemble. Other highlights included an orange suede jacket layered with a steel grey shirt suspenders and trousers, an aristocratic jacket/dress set that re-interprets a pattern from the maison's heritage luggage, and a fatally chic white coat worn with a hat and black sash.
Layering, as always with Loro Piana, was at the essence of both men's and women's collection. Rich colours such as dark maple leaf, tundra soil, deep oak, creamy vanilla, green haze melange, fondue fudge, and a particularly covetous navy blue were layered in the complementary yet contrasting textures of cashmere, cheviot, merino wool, silk, and cash melton.
Meticulously Designed Accessories
Loro Piana has expanded into jewelry in recent years and proposed a plethora of gorgeous pieces this season. Oversized sunglasses provided a touch of daring while slender belts completed the impeccably tailored looks. Of course, there were several must-have bags. This season saw the launch of the "Needle," a profoundly meaningful piece inspired by the bags that ladies would use to carry their knitting needles in.
The iconic Loom bag was proposed in Nubuck Zibeline, Cash Tweed, and Pecora Nera, while the Extra Bag L27 re-interpreted a classic silhouette in a smaller, sleeker form. Feminine yet functional, structured yet streamlined, this bag selection can serve as the foundation of a modern woman's wardrobe not only for the current season but for years to come. Regarding men's bags, the weekender version of the Loom and the ingenious linen interpretation on the garment bag were highlights.
Fashion as Art and Architecture
Loro Piana reminds us that the best fashion is both art and architecture, where color and form come together in a graceful dance, shifting from ethereal to sharply structured. This season's collection extensively conversed with art, as the design team displayed watercolours on easels throughout the show space. These watercolours reflected the dramatic landscapes of Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina and were also reflected in dreamily painterly prints throughout the collection.
This season at Loro Piana was a truly international voyage transcending time and place while reflecting timeless values. With the expansive yet cohesive collection, and the introduction of the magnificent new Royal Lightness materials, the maison reminded us why it remains the last word in luxury.
