GOLDEN KNIGHT: Roberto Coin was honored with the Cavaliere del Lavoro, or “Knight of Labour,” title in Italy on Thursday.
Established in 1901 by King Vittorio Emanuele III, the honor is one of the highest recognitions bestowed by the president of the Italian Republic, currently Sergio Mattarella, and recognizes 25 Italian entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in different sectors of the economy and contributed to social development, employment, technology and the growth of Made in Italy.
For Coin, the recognition comes at a symbolic time, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the namesake jewelry brand he founded in Vicenza. In defining the acknowledgement “a great honor and a source of deep gratitude,” he said he “enthusiastically share[s] this recognition with everyone who has been part of my journey: collaborators, artisans, partners, and above all, my family.”
Since the brand’s founding in 1996, the jeweler has risen as a made-in-Italy ambassador in the category, with its creations drawing an international clientele spearheaded by the likes of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez, Cynthia Erivo, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry, among many others.
As reported, Coin recently brought even more of its legacy Stateside with the opening of new stores, which marked the next chapter in the Italian jeweler’s U.S. expansion since being acquired by the London-based Watches of Switzerland Group in 2024. The brand is present in more than 1,000 jewelry stores in 60 countries and employs 60 people.
Coin joined 24 other businesspeople in receiving the Cavaliere del Lavoro title. This year, the list of honorees was particularly heavy in entrepreneurs operating in the food and beverage industries, as it included the likes of Gioconda Gritti, president of the Michelin-starred “Da Vittorio” restaurant, which she founded with husband Vittorio Cerea in 1966. Giuseppe Fontana, president of Gruppo Villa d’Este that controls the luxury hotel on Lake Como, was also included.
Last year, many fashion and luxury industry personalities were recognized with the same honor, including Prada Group’s chairman Patrizio Bertelli; Francesco Milleri, chairman and chief executive officer of EssilorLuxottica; Alfonso Dolce, president of Dolce & Gabbana; Maria Giovanna Paone, chairwoman and co-CEO of Kiton’s parent company Ciro Paone, as well as Salvatore Ferragamo chairman Leonardo Ferragamo.
Previous recipients have been the likes of Pietro Beccari, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton; Ferruccio Ferragamo; Remo Ruffini, Moncler Group’s executive chairman; Federico Marchetti; Gildo Zegna, executive chairman of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group; Rosita Missoni; Claudio Marenzi, president and CEO of Herno; Roberto Colombo, president of Lanificio Luigi Colombo, a producer of cashmere and high-quality fibers, and Alberto Barberis Canonico, CEO of the Italian high-end woolen mill Vitale Barberis Canonico, established in 1936 on the outskirts of Biella, among others.
