Luca Rubinacci is creative director and heir to his grandfather’s tailoring dynasty Rubinacci, which was founded in 1932. Luca grew up in Naples, moved to Milan and is now a celebrated style icon across the globe.
Luca you are an innovator, continually building on the incredible Rubinacci legacy. Tell us about the inspiration behind the brand.
Each generation is passionate about beauty. My grandfather was an art dealer with a passion for suits and clothes. He was appointed by The King of Savoy to buy art for him and then was asked if he would be the King’s style consultant. My grandfather then proceeded in opening an atelier in 1932 and called it “London House”. You can see on the logo of LH there is a crown and this crown was given by the King of Savoy in 1941, after we became an official supplier to the Royal family. My grandfather without knowing invented the Napolitan jacket, because his clients were all Kings and Nobel families who wanted to wear jackets for business but also just for pure pleasure for ‘la dolce vita,’ to always be elegantly dressed. My father then changed the name from London house to Rubinacci, which has become famous all around the world for its tailoring. He was the first to organise trunk shows outside of Italy. I am the third generation, I arrived in 2000 in an era where everything is more connected, I give it a contemporary turn through the use of social networks and have founded the Ready To Wear Line. Like my father and my grandfather, we all adapt to the times.
You are the largest handmade tailor company in Europe and oversee 15 tailors that are aged between 18-22. How important do you think it is to have age diversity in the workplace?
Having a variety of new and old school tailors permits us to choose the most favourable artisan in the terms of what the clients request. Being able to decide which hand will sew the suits of our client, gives us more power. From the new generation comes new ideas, these tailors are our future.
Why should people invest in bespoke suits?
When buying a bespoke suit you are building your wardrobe and investing in a product that will last for life. Bespoke products are adjustable so will fit always, no matter if you gain or lose weight. The jacket I am wearing today was made in May 2005, almost 20 years ago and it is still here! That is the essence of bespoke. I have a lot of suits from both my grandfather and my father also. You can pass them down and over time they just become better.
You work so closely with your family which we believe adds to the success of your business. Chiara, your twin sister, is based here in London, how is it working together?
Chiara is my right shoulder, she is the woman behind the man, she is able to do all what is missing in my knowledge. I am the creative guy and she is the one behind me, with the financial perspective and many other things. Chiara really is the one on the side of me and my other two sisters also. Marcella runs the e-commerce department and Alessandra runs Naples Headquarters.
Then my father and my mother oversee all of us and are a big presence still in the business. We sometimes fight because it is good to fight, but we have a great dynamic and respect between us.
How do you clear your mind and recharge?
I do a lot of extreme sports. People always ask how I use kitesurfing and snowboarding to relax, but I love them and while I am doing them I only focus on the sport! It is important that everyone has something that helps them to switch off.
What legacy do you want to leave?
I have been taught a legacy of values, to have good sense and to compete in a gentle way. It may take me a while to arrive where I want to arrive but I know that the road that I am building is clean and pure. It is not important how many clients that we have but the kind of clients that we have. I hope that my children will have these same values and apply them to their life and business also.
