Despite his endless world travels, for both fun and business, Stefano hardly considers the United States an afterthought. This year, the company plans to open boutiques in Miami and Las Vegas, bringing the total in this country to five.

The Miami location, in the budding luxury and art enclave of the Design District, will feature a brighter, breezier interior design and an emphasis on sportswear, not just suits, to cater to a younger clientele. The same goes for the second Las Vegas boutique, in Wynn Plaza, where the opportunities are considerable, Filippo said: “If they win, they will spend money to celebrate. If they lose, they will spend money to feel less depressed.”

As with any expansion, this one is not without risks, particularly in a time of great economic uncertainty, with wobbliness in the luxury sector.

If nothing else, however, Stefano always feels as if he can look to the skies for guidance. Throughout his travels, he said, in the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, the Alps, South America, “I always had over my head, an eagle flying,” he said. “And I was always begging the eagle, help me to go home safe.”

So maybe that’s the real meaning of the eagle in his collection — the eagle as guardian angel.

“Maybe I don’t deserve as much an angel,” he said with a hearty smoker’s cough. “But I appreciate the presence.”