The family-owned Italian menswear house has named a former Brunello Cucinelli executive as its first creative director. Alessio Lillocci will now lead the modernization of this nearly century-old sartorial icon.
“A new chapter in the evolution” of Canali…
The luxury men’s ready-to-wear brand, owned by the eponymous family, has secured a creative director whose expertise will be invaluable.
Formerly of Brunello Cucinelli and Prada
Alessio Lillocci—that is his name—spent 21 years, from late 2002 to mid-2023, in the styling department (before being appointed head of the Men’s division) at Brunello Cucinelli, another Italian family-owned group (50% family-owned), though publicly traded since 2012.
Introduced to the world of fashion at a young age in his mother’s sewing workshop, Alessio Lillocci had a brief stint at Prada as director of men’s ready-to-wear from February to August 2024, before beginning to collaborate a year later as a freelancer at Canali. This earned him enough recognition to now take the helm of the design department there.
Before the appointment of Alessio Lillocci, the first to hold this position, Canali’s style was managed internally by the brand’s in-house creative and product team. This team will support the newcomer “to shape a new yet coherent vision of Canali’s identity,” stated Stefano Canali, CEO of Canali.
Key assets for the brand’s future
“We are delighted to welcome Alessio,” Stefano Canali added, noting that “his experience, sensibility, and deep knowledge of the world of men’s fashion will be key assets for the brand’s future.”
In his new role, Alessio Lillocci is responsible for “ensuring the preservation and strengthening of the brand’s identity, maintaining stylistic and qualitative consistency between the creative vision, the product, and Canali’s DNA throughout the development of the collections,” the luxury house further explained.
“Joining Canali is a great honor for me,” said Alessio Lillocci. “It is a brand that fully embodies Italian sartorial excellence and expertise in men’s fashion, where product culture, quality, and attention to detail are concrete, everyday pillars. All the ingredients are in place to build an authentic and coherent creative journey, capable of evolving while respecting the brand’s DNA.”
A global benchmark in classic men’s luxury
Founded in 1934 by Giovanni Canali, a textile magnate, and his brother Giacomo, a tailor, Canali was the first Italian tailor to introduce mechanized cutting machines as early as the 1970s. The House still oversees its own “Made in Italy” production, with five in-house factories on the peninsula.
Still a global benchmark for classic men’s luxury, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, Canali has begun to modernize its silhouettes—especially since the pandemic—to appeal to a younger clientele, while maintaining its traditional sartorial (bespoke tailoring) image.
According to LinkedIn, Canali currently employs “more than 1,800 people,” whether in its Italian factories or in its approximately 250 boutiques worldwide (Europe, China, the United States, India, Japan, the Middle East, Australia…). The brand is also available in more than a thousand multi-brand retail outlets in over 100 countries.
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Featured photo: © Canali
