In a world where billionaire businessmen regularly undercut wages, mechanize labor, and offshore production to meet quarterly deadlines, Brunello Cucinelli has done something different. The Italian fashion designer has merged the philosophies of Stoicism, Christianity, and German idealism to create a billion-dollar company. His focuses include creating long-lasting, quality products, paying employees a living wage, and making profits ethically and morally.

At the age of 12, Cucinelli created the foundation for his philosophy. Desiring to be a monk, he read Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations and said it was one of the most profound events of his life, teaching him to look for inner peace and keep himself centered on the principle of “being a good man.” St. Benedict, Socrates, and Kant also played roles in the development of his ethical foundation.