Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli is the man who made the cashmere sweater cool again. After dropping out of engineering school, he used a $550 bank loan in 1978 to launch Bruno Cucinelli SpA, inspired by his observation that young women would borrow their boyfriends' sweaters. Today, the company defines luxury "casual-chic" - it sells cashmere sweaters and coats, handbags, accessories, and skirts. In 1985 Cucinelli moved the headquarters of his company to Solomeo, a medieval Italian town that he's been renovating ever since, restoring the castle, building an amphitheater, school, public garden, and sports complex. He espouses a theory of "humanistic enterprise" which means that he aims to both share his company's profits and "humanize" his employees. He eliminates strict working hours and hierarchies, and offers employees homemade meals prepared by the housewives of Solomeo. The company, with Western Europe and North America as its main markets, continues to expand.