Luxury Italian brand Loro Piana to open first San Diego location in 2026
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The list of high-end fashion brands at Westfield UTC mall continues growing as part of its multi-phase expansion.
Among those expected to join its directory of retail stores next year is Loro Piana, a luxury Italian brand known for its fine cashmeres, designer bags and other small leather goods.
Founded in 1924 by Pietro Loro Piana, it has been majority-owned by the multinational luxury goods company LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) since 2013.
Loro Piana sources its high-quality cashmere from Mongolia and other mountainous regions of Asia where herders harvest the rare fiber from the capra hircus goat between March and May, according to its website.
The fashion house also specializes in vicuña, which was referred to as "the fibre of the gods" in ancient Incan civilization. Vicuña is sourced from a small member of the camel family that lives wild in the Andes at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters.
During the 20th century, the vicuña population faced extinction due to poachers hunting them for their soft fleece. Loro Piana signed an agreement with the Peruvian government in 1994, granting them the exclusive rights to purchase, process and distribute the fiber.
Loro Piana is expected to open in Westfield UTC in summer 2026 near the French luxury brands Hermès and Louis Vuitton.