Cerruti Suits in Dubai: Italian Heritage with a Cinematic Edge
Antonio Cerruti opened Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti in Biella in 1881 with two brothers and a cousin. By the early twentieth century the mill was producing 10,000 pieces of fine combed fabric annually. The business passed to Silvio Cerruti, then to his son Nino Cerruti in 1951. Nino turned the family wool mill into something unprecedented: a fabric maker that also became a fashion house. In 1957 he launched Hitman, the first Cerruti clothing line. In 1967 he opened the first Cerruti 1881 boutique in Paris and hired a young assistant named Giorgio Armani. By the 1980s the mill was dressing Hollywood. In 2000 Nino sold the Cerruti 1881 fashion house and returned his focus entirely to the Biella mill, where he remained until his death in 2022 at age 91. Since November 2022, the mill has been owned by Piacenza 1733, another historic Biella wool group — which means the fabric is now produced under two of the oldest wool houses in Italy.
What makes Cerruti cloth different
The mill sits on the banks of the river Cervo in Biella, which supplies the soft mineral-poor water Italian wool houses rely on for washing and finishing. Cerruti’s fabric composition is roughly 80% wool, 10% cashmere, and 10% other fibers — linens, hemps, viscose, elastomers — which gives its cloth a slightly softer, more fluid hand than pure-wool Italian competitors. The mill produces over 8,000 new colors per year across its collections, and ranges from classic suiting weights up to the remarkable Arcadia Super 200s — which uses merino fiber around 13.5 microns, close to the finest commercially available wool on earth.
The Cerruti collections at House of Tailors
Gala
Cerruti’s formalwear range. Smooth finish, clean drape, built for evening suits and formal day garments. This is the cloth I reach for when a client wants a non-tuxedo formal suit — midnight blue for black-tie alternatives, deep charcoal for serious board settings. The surface quality photographs exceptionally well under event lighting.
Oxygen
The daily driver. Oxygen is Cerruti’s lightweight, breathable business cloth, built for year-round wear in warm conditions. This is the Cerruti I recommend to most Dubai clients for their first suit from the mill — it is refined, breathes well in summer heat, and holds a sharp silhouette without feeling heavy.
Oxygen – Blue Blazer
A focused selection within the Oxygen range built specifically for blazer use. If you want one Cerruti jacket that will work for everything from smart-casual Thursday brunches to business meetings in Zurich, this is it. The cloth holds its shape without the formality of a full suit fabric, which makes it the most versatile piece Cerruti makes.
Arcadia Super 200s
The top of the range. Arcadia is woven from merino fiber around 13.5 microns — finer than most cashmere, finer than Zegna’s 15 Milmil 15 — and is reserved for the most important pieces in a wardrobe. The hand is almost unsettling the first time you feel it. I do not recommend this for daily wear. I recommend it for the one or two pieces in your life where the cloth matters more than practicality: a wedding suit, a milestone birthday, the suit you will keep for thirty years.
Wallace 2
Firmer structure, closer to a traditional English cut in how it holds a shoulder. Wallace is what I suggest when a client wants a Drago suit that looks sharp rather than soft — double-breasted builds, strong lapels, structured silhouettes.
Deep Black
Drago’s dedicated formalwear range. A genuinely deep, non-grey black that photographs well under every kind of event lighting. This is the one I cut tuxedos from.
Solanus 2
The summer specialist. Even lighter than Blue Feel, designed for the hottest months. I would not build an entire wardrobe around Solanus, but if you need a suit for July and August events, this is the one.
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Frequently asked questions about Cerruti suits
No — they are separate companies now. Lanificio F.lli Cerruti is the original Biella wool mill, founded in 1881 by the Cerruti family. Nino Cerruti sold the Cerruti 1881 fashion house in 2000 and returned to running the mill. The mill is now owned by Piacenza 1733, another historic Italian wool group. Our fabrics come from the mill, not the fashion house.
The Cerruti fashion house dressed Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Al Pacino among many others. Nino Cerruti designed costumes for Pretty Woman, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, and more. In sports, the Scuderia Ferrari team wore Cerruti suits in the 1990s. The cloth has been continuously produced at the Biella mill since 1881.
Oxygen is lighter, with a slightly softer hand due to Cerruti’s cashmere and natural-fiber blending. Trofeo is a heritage wool engineered for durability and fine daily wear. Both are excellent — the choice usually comes down to which house’s aesthetic you prefer. Oxygen is the more modern, lightweight option; Trofeo is the more traditional benchmark.
No, and I would not recommend it for daily use. At 13.5 microns, Arcadia is one of the finest commercial wools available — beautiful, soft, delicate. It belongs in the part of your wardrobe reserved for the suits you wear 10–15 times a year, not the ones you rotate through a business week.
For year-round wear, look at Oxygen in weights around 240–260 g/m². Cerruti’s lightweight collections are specifically designed for warmer climates, which makes them better suited to the UAE than heavier traditional wools.
Yes — and Gala is our standard recommendation for non-tuxedo wedding suits. For a more luxurious option, Arcadia Super 200s is a beautiful choice for grooms who want the finest possible cloth. Both are available in our Business Bay showroom.
What a Cerruti bespoke suit costs at House of Tailors
Cerruti bespoke suits are priced based on the selected collection — from Oxygen for everyday wear to Gala formalwear and the elevated Arcadia Super 200s. Three-piece constructions are structured accordingly. Every garment includes our full bespoke process, from pattern drafting and multiple fittings to hand-finished construction.