Brunello Cucinelli’s daughters on crafting the house’s ‘Duo’ bag, conceived through sisterly synergy

Camilla and Carolina Cucinelli, daughters of Brunello Cucinelli, tell Wallpaper* the story behind ‘BC Duo’, the first bag they’ve designed for the Italian house

Brunello Cucinelli Duo Bag
Camilla and Carolina Cucinelli, designers of the ‘BC Duo’, the first bag the pair have designed for the Solomeo-based brand
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli)

Brunello Cucinelli has built his namesake fashion empire on Italian values: preservation of tradition and craft, the importance of local community, and – as any guest to the 12th-century hamlet of Solomeo, in Umbria, where the brand is based, can attest – gracious hospitality and good food (so much so, Mr Cucinelli’s dinners have become synonymous with vast bowls of paccheri pasta and golden drizzles of his own small-batch olive oil).

But Brunello Cucinelli is also a family business, with his two daughters – Carolina and Camilla Cucinelli – serving as vice presidents and creative co-directors, while living and working in Solomeo with their own families. ‘It is good to hear when a company reaches its sixth generation: that's what my grandfather would say, that's what my father would say. It is the value of guardianship and generation turnover,’ Mr Cucinelli wrote in a recent essay about the importance of family to his business.

The story behind Brunello Cucinelli’s ‘BC Duo’ bag

Brunello Cucinelli Duo Bag

The ‘BC Duo’ bag, available at shop.brunellocucinelli.com

(Image credit: Courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli)

It’s why the house’s ‘BC Duo’ handbag – which arrives this March – represents something of a torch-passing moment, marking the first bag to be designed by the sisters. A softly structured tote, its design features geometric panels that loosely recall the ’BC’ of the house’s initials, and allow it to be folded inwards on each side to create a more compact silhouette. The sisters envisage it for everyday wear, particularly the largest shopper style which appeals to our own throw-it-all-in mentality (there are four sizes in total, including ‘medium’, ‘small’ and ‘mini’ iterations).

The sisters tell Wallpaper* that the inspiration came from ‘the idea of duality – two elements that come together to create something greater than the sum of their parts,’ with the bag embodying ‘tradition and innovation, simplicity and sophistication, functionality and beauty. [It’s like] the balance we strive for in life.’

Brunello Cucinelli Duo Bag

The sisters at work. ‘We share an innate understanding of each other’s perspectives and a deep sense of trust,’ they say

(Image credit: Courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli)

As for designing as sisters, Carolina and Camilla call the conception of the bag a ‘truly special experience’. ‘We share an innate understanding of each other’s perspectives and a deep sense of trust, which allows us to challenge one another creatively,’ they say. ‘[Our] synergy allows us to create something unique – both our voices are present, but the final product is balanced.’

For S/S 2025, the ‘BC Duo’ comes in an array of fabrics, from classic calfskin and suede – long used for Brunello Cucinelli’s hand-crafted accessories – to bolder lamé and metallic finishes. Choosing a favourite is impossible, say Carolina and Camilla, though they sway towards the ‘soft, neutral’ shades of taupe and ivory – the hues with which Brunello Cucinelli has long been synonymous. Like father, like daughters.

The ‘BC Duo’ series is available from Brunello Cucinelli’s website and stores worldwide.

brunellocucinelli.com

Fashion Features Editor

Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*, joining the team in 2022. Having previously been the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 and 10 Men magazines, he has also contributed to titles including i-D, Dazed, 10 Magazine, Mr Porter’s The Journal and more, while also featuring in Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.