Scabal vs. Loro Piana: Brand comparison [2026 updated]

Scabal is a British heritage brand renowned for producing high-quality fabrics for bespoke tailoring, focusing on classic patterns and modern innovation. In contrast, Loro Piana is an Italian luxury house celebrated for sourcing the world's rarest and most exquisite fibers like vicuña and baby cashmere for in-house tailoring and an extensive ready-to-wear collection.

Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right luxury textile and clothing brand for your wardrobe.

Scabal: The Master of British Tailoring Fabrics

Founded in 1938, Scabal has built its legacy on supplying elite tailors and discerning individuals with some of the finest suiting fabrics in the world. The brand embodies classic British tailoring, merging timeless craftsmanship with innovative fabric production. While it provides made-to-measure services, its primary identity is as a fabric merchant, offering an exceptional range of wools, cashmeres, and silks to those who value the art of bespoke clothing.

• Product mix: Primarily focuses on high-quality suiting fabrics sold to bespoke tailors. Also offers a made-to-measure tailoring service for personalized suits, jackets, and trousers.
• Price point: Suiting fabrics typically start around $1,000. Made-to-measure suits generally cost between $5,000 and $10,000+, depending on the fabric and complexity.
• Quality & Materials: Known for exceptionally fine merino wool, cashmere, and silk blends. Fabrics are prized for their durability, drape, and refined textures, making them a top choice for bespoke tailors globally.
• Style & Aesthetic: A distinctly classic British style with a modern sensibility. Favors traditional patterns like herringbone, pinstripes, and checks that are ideal for professional and formal attire.
• Sizing/Fit: As a provider of fabrics and bespoke services, sizing is entirely custom. The brand's products are designed to be perfectly tailored by a skilled artisan to the client's individual measurements.

Scabal is the choice for purists who value the heritage of bespoke tailoring and wish to select premium, classic British fabrics for a custom-made garment.

Shop Scabal: scabal.com

Loro Piana: The Pinnacle of Italian Luxury Textiles

Loro Piana, founded in 1924, stands at the apex of Italian luxury, celebrated for its mastery of sourcing and processing the rarest natural fibers available. From the incredibly soft vicuña to baby cashmere, the brand's identity is built on unparalleled material quality and understated elegance. Beyond fabrics, Loro Piana offers a complete ready-to-wear collection, encompassing everything from suiting and outerwear to knitwear and accessories for an elite clientele.

• Product mix: Offers a wide array of luxury goods including fabrics for tailoring, ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, shoes, and home textiles. Especially known for vicuña and cashmere products.
• Price point: Generally higher than Scabal. Fabrics start around $1,500, with bespoke suits often exceeding $10,000. Ready-to-wear suits can range from $3,000 to $8,000, with specialized pieces costing much more.
• Quality & Materials: The brand is synonymous with the world's finest and rarest fibers. Loro Piana uses proprietary techniques to create fabrics that are incredibly lightweight, soft, and high-performing, including water-resistant treatments.
• Style & Aesthetic: Reflects a refined and minimalist Italian sophistication. Designs emphasize fabric quality over loud patterns, focusing on clean lines, neutral color palettes, and versatile styles for formal and casual luxury.
• Sizing/Fit: Ready-to-wear garments are crafted with precise Italian sizing and generally run true to size, though they offer a tailored but comfortable fit. The brand also provides comprehensive bespoke services.

Loro Piana excels at creating exceptionally luxurious ready-to-wear clothing defined by unmatched material quality and quiet confidence.

Shop Loro Piana: loropiana.com

Scabal vs. Loro Piana Comparison

Price Comparison

Both brands operate squarely in the ultra-luxury market, but there is a clear difference in pricing structure. Scabal offers premium fabrics and services with costs starting around $1,000 for suiting material, and a completed bespoke suit beginning around $5,000. This is undeniably high-end, targeting customers serious about custom tailoring.

Loro Piana commands a substantially higher price point across the board. The exclusivity and rarity of its fibers, particularly vicuña, mean their fabric lengths start higher - around $1,500 - and their bespoke suits often exceed $10,000. Their ready-to-wear items, like a simple cashmere sweater, can cost thousands, reflecting the brand’s positioning at the very peak of the luxury world.

Quality & Materials

Quality is the cornerstone of both brands, but their approaches differ. Scabal is known for masterful blends of wool, cashmere, and silk, employing traditional British techniques combined with innovation. Their fabrics are celebrated for their structure, durability, and classic beauty, designed specifically to hold up well in a tailored suit.

Loro Piana's reputation is built on sourcing and perfecting the most exclusive fibers on earth. Their mastery extends from vicuña (the world's rarest animal fiber) to baby cashmere from the Changthangi goat. They utilize advanced, often proprietary, technologies to enhance these materials' natural properties, resulting in fabrics that are uniquely soft, light, and performance-oriented.

Style & Aesthetic

Scabal offers a modern interpretation of classic British tailoring. Think structured silhouettes, traditional patterns like Glen check and pinstripes, and a certain formality perfect for business and formal events. It’s an aesthetic rooted in heritage but not slavishly bound by it, appealing to those who appreciate timeless sartorial codes.

Loro Piana embodies understated Italian luxury. The style is softer, more relaxed, and minimalist. They favor solid, neutral colors and simple designs that let the extraordinary quality of the fabric speak for itself. It is a look of quiet sophistication that communicates wealth through material feel rather than overt branding or bold design.

Shopping Experience

Shopping for Scabal is a niche experience, often done through an affiliated high-end tailor. The process is consultative and educational, focused on selecting the perfect fabric for a custom garment. They have fewer brand-owned retail stores, as their primary business is supplying craftsmen with materials.

Loro Piana offers a complete luxury retail experience. Their beautifully designed boutiques and flagship stores are located in major cities worldwide, providing a seamless customer journey from browsing ready-to-wear collections to engaging in private bespoke appointments. Their online store is equally sophisticated, making the brand more accessible for direct purchases.

Sustainability & Ethics

Both brands prioritize responsible practices, but Loro Piana has made sustainability a central part of its brand narrative. Their "Vicuña Project" is famous for its work in conserving the vicuña species in Peru while establishing a sustainable, ethical supply chain for its highly prized fiber. They are vocal about their environmental conservation work.

Scabal has also moved toward more sustainable production, focusing on responsible sourcing of wool and investing in cleaner manufacturing processes. They maintain a high degree of transparency in their supply chain, adhering to high European standards, though Loro Piana's specific conservation initiatives give them a slight edge in public perception.

Which One Should You Choose?

The right brand depends entirely on your priorities, style, and what you’re looking for in luxury clothing.

Choose Scabal if:

• You value the classic heritage and structured look of British tailoring.
• You are primarily interested in creating a bespoke suit and want to choose from a vast library of high-quality fabrics.
• You appreciate traditional patterns and want a garment made for formal or professional settings.
• Your focus is on the craftsmanship of tailoring, and you work directly with a trusted artisan.

Choose Loro Piana if:

• You seek the absolute finest and rarest materials, like vicuña or baby cashmere.
• Your style is understated, minimalist, and you prioritize comfort and fabric softness above all.
• You want a complete luxury experience, with the option to buy exceptional ready-to-wear items or commission a bespoke piece.
• You are looking for versatile luxury pieces that work as well in a casual setting as they do in a formal one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Scabal or Loro Piana more expensive?

Loro Piana is generally more expensive. Their focus on sourcing the world's rarest fibers and their extensive ready-to-wear luxury collections result in a higher average price point across both fabrics and finished garments compared to Scabal.

Which brand has better quality?

Both have exceptional quality, but in different ways. Loro Piana is superior in terms of rare and fine natural fibers, offering unmatched softness and lightness. Scabal excels in producing durable, high-performance suiting fabrics with excellent structure, rooted in classic British textile manufacturing.

Can I buy a Scabal suit online directly?

Generally, no. Scabal's primary business model is providing fabric to top-tier tailors and offering made-to-measure services through select partners. You typically cannot purchase a ready-made suit directly from their website.

What is Loro Piana famously known for?

Loro Piana is most famous for its use of vicuña, considered the rarest and most expensive fiber in the world, and for its extremely soft baby cashmere. Their reputation is built on turning these exclusive materials into luxurious, understated clothing.

Which is better for a business suit?

For a traditional, structured business suit, Scabal is an excellent choice. Their classic British patterns and durable fabrics are perfectly suited for a professional environment. Loro Piana offers a softer, more luxurious option that signals wealth in a more understated way, often favored in creative industries or by C-suite executives.

Is Loro Piana a British or Italian brand?

Loro Piana is an iconic Italian luxury brand, founded in Trivero, Italy. Its aesthetic and craftsmanship are deeply rooted in Italian tradition.

Which is more sustainable?

Both brands uphold high sustainability standards. However, Loro Piana has made ethical and sustainable sourcing a more visible pillar of its brand, particularly through its well-publicized conservation efforts protecting species like the vicuña.

Do both brands offer ready-to-wear clothing?

Loro Piana has an extensive collection of ready-to-wear across all categories for men and women. Scabal's focus is on fabric and bespoke services, with a much more limited offering of finished garments.