Trevelyan's Mainframe - FILE: Men’s Suits, Brioni / Twenty Years Removed

Well, well, well. It seems you’ve decided to smarten up your garb with this file, old boy. Our operatives, as well as opposite British Military Intelligence operatives, have been dressed to impress in Brioni suits for years. Blending old-style class with modern looks, Brioni brings high-end, Italian-made pieces to the forefront of today’s fashion. The following is what we have within this file for your subject, twenty years removed from their appearance in GOLDENEYE...

Founded back in 1945, Brioni has since become a staple in fashion and film. As I’m sure you’re well aware, for nearly two decades Brioni suits were the go-to for Agent 007 of the British Secret Service. If there is one detail James and I can both agree on, it’s our taste in apparel. Bond was introduced to Brioni by GOLDENEYE costume designer Lindy Hemming, who originally envisioned James Bond in suits that oozed sheer luxury and expensiveness. Due to GOLDENEYE’s tight shooting schedule, Hemming also expressed the need of tailoring on the fly and the production of many suits rather quickly. Ultimately meeting such demands and having the look that was aimed for, Brioni was chosen.

Following Brioni’s grand showing in GOLDENEYE, the company would again lend pieces for their on-screen resurfacing in the following James Bond film, 1997’s TOMORROW NEVER DIES. James Bond would once again don several Brioni pieces, often tied together with a Turnbull & Asser or Sulka tie and Church’s dress shoes. Sharp choices indeed, James.

The year 1999 would see James Bond again fitted in Brioni for the majority of that year’s film, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. This would further establish Brioni’s image with Bond and the partnership would continue on to the Pierce Brosnan’s next and final James Bond film, 2002’s DIE ANOTHER DAY. After a strong relationship with the James Bond films, Brioni would disappear from major film spotlight for a few years and begin to look to new creative directions.

Our file shows that by 2006, Bond and Brioni would once again be on each other’s radar, as Daniel Craig would emerge as the newest face of the franchise. In need of a tried and true Bond image, Craig would suit up in Brioni for his press conference, and for his first on-screen outing as James Bond 007 in that year’s film, CASINO ROYALE. Data suggest that previous to Casino Royale’s release, a special Bond-themed tuxedo was released by Brioni in a few select stores to promote the long-standing partnership as well as the new film. The tuxedo would fall right around the three-thousand pound range and include a repeated 007 logo stitched into the silver lining of the jacket. What a perfect piece for those who like to pose as Her Majesty, the Queen’s, loyal terrier.

Perhaps, arguably, the most iconic scenes within CASINO ROYALE are shot with Bond donning a sharp tuxedo at the high table at Casino Royale. That same, famed tuxedo was a Brioni piece! It was also reported by several sources at the time, that everyone at the table in those scenes were outfitted by Brioni. How’s that for looking uniform!

After 2006, Brioni and Bond would mutually part ways, ushering in the era of Tom Ford for 007 and the Bond films that would follow such as QUANTUM OF SOLACE, SKYFALL and as of this year, SPECTRE. The following year, Brioni would be named as the most prestigious men’s luxury brand in America by the Luxury Institute of New York (the company would be rewarded with the same distintion again in 2011). Brioni revenue continued to climb yearly, with well over one-hundred and eight million Euros in sales in 2007 alone. Needless to say, their suits have made (and continue to make) them a pretty penny annually.

According to this file, things would remain relatively steady for the company until 2012, when Brioni would be acquired by the French luxury goods holding company Kering. This would mark a new phase of development and management for the fashion house. Under the new creative direction of Brendan Mullane, Brioni would begin to further develop and manufacture ready-to-wear collections as well as leather goods, shoes, eyewear and fragrances. Today, Brioni continues as a staple in men’s fashion and luxury clothing.

            

Side notes on the Brioni brand are rather generalized from what the Janus Syndicate has been able to gather. Research concluded here states that Brioni products are in fact distributed globally across Europe, Asia and America through directly-owned, private boutiques and a healthy network of department stores. Also noted here is that Brioni has dressed many internationally famous individuals since its founding. Other than those from the Bond family include the likes of Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew McConaughey, to name only a few among the Brioni-sporting family. A rather impressive list, I must admit.

            

This mainframe concludes that opposite numbers fitted in Brioni often have the status and means to do so. So, these individuals must be approached with caution. Janus is currently in the process of fitting our own in such pieces. Status on that initiative will be updated shortly. Until then, keep aware of our enemies. After all, only the sharpest agents will be dressed to kill.

That concludes the subject of Brioni suits. Though the file runs a bit short, the details are correctly concise, old boy. As you peruse behind our firewall, at least you’ve been properly briefed on how a proper field operative may appear. As, you persist on treading through our hidden files, I warn you once again to do so with care. If any of this information is to leak, I will know the source from which it sprang…

- End transmission, Trevelyan.