WORDS BY ASHLEIGH GRIBBON
One of the heavyweights of Italian fashion, Zegna is a fourth-generation, family-run fashion house loved for its modernized revisions of classic menswear pieces. Shaped by the house’s tailoring expertise, masterfully made suiting and elevated, smart-casual staples are the signature design codes that define every season. Founded in 1910 in the northern Italian town of Trivero, Ermenegildo Zegna’s eponymous brand was born from his desire to produce the most beautiful fabrics in the world — an uncompromising vision that remains central to the house’s DNA today. Here, discover more about the label and its collections — including Z Zegna and Zegna XXX — then shop all of the latest most-wanted pieces.
Ermenegildo Zegna: modern-classic tailoring
Known in the industry as the leader in refined tailoring and subdued Italian flair, Ermenegildo Zegna is the mainline collection of the Zegna brand. House-made fabrics — courtesy of the original Lanificio wool mill — and an expertise in Italian tailoring have made the label’s suits a firm favorite with the classic dresser. Much of the collection’s tailoring, including its made-to-measure selection, is created in the company’s Swiss factory, alongside more casual pieces such as cashmere-silk sweaters and classic cotton T-shirts. This season, highlights include a minimalist shirt jacket finished in a versatile brown tone and a graphic-knit sweater crafted from a tactile wool and cashmere blend.
Z Zegna: activewear meets tailoring
With quilted jackets, polo shirts and zip-through knits central to the collection, Z Zegna takes a more youthful approach to Ermenegildo Zegna’s smart design tropes. Its considered offering of sportswear staples and practicality-led outerwear remain true to the brand’s DNA through the use of high-quality fabrics and expert craftsmanship. Synonymous with melding activewear and tailoring, the line also puts a strong focus on technical innovation and performance fabrics, incorporating specialist materials like TECHMERINO™ into many of its knitwear pieces.
Zegna XXX: elevating the everyday
Ermenegildo Zegna applied its couture-grade approach to elevated staples in 2018, with the launch of its new tailoring-meets-streetwear line. Named XXX — the universal symbol for ‘fatto a mano’ (handmade), and a reference to the three handmade ‘X’ stitches on Zegna’s tailoring — the line celebrates timelessness and versatility, creating low-key closet staples that are underpinned by uncompromising quality. This season, Zegna XXX is defined by its luxury fabrications, intricate quilting and understated logo detailing.
FARFETCH x Zegna x Port Magazine
In a special collaboration with Ermenegildo Zegna and Port Magazine — the creative platform dedicated to profiling pioneers of art, fashion, music and culture — we champion the power of communication as two modern wordsmiths wear the label’s latest fall/winter 2021 pieces. Speaking to the collection’s mood, which shines a spotlight on the importance of communication, Irish poet Seán Hewitt and R&B artist Azekel reflect on working with prose as a form of self expression.
The collection — named ‘The (Re)Set’ by Ermenegildo Zegna’s artistic director, Alessandro Sartori — sees the label shape a new menswear dialect with pieces that take their cues from the past, while remaining wholly modern in tone. Sportswear-informed pieces elevated in traditional tweeds , streamlined turtlenecks revised in nylon and dual-function outerwear fit perfectly with a new world wardrobe, where our work and social lives have hybridized.
Ermenegildo Zegna x Fear of God
An exciting collaboration created in fall 2020, Ermenegildo Zegna and LA-based label Fear of God came together to celebrate expert tailoring, sophisticated leisurewear and an independent spirit — resulting in closet staples that are wearable for both men and women. ‘Jerry [Lorenzo, founder of Fear of God] and myself share the same mindset about clothing and we just wanted to explore new possibilities and ideas on the future of menswear,’ explained Alessandro Sartori in an interview with FARFETCH to celebrate the launch of the collaboration. ‘It’s a perfect mix of craftsmanship and appealing pieces. The excellence of Ermenegildo Zegna’s sartorial take and the sophisticated leisurewear of Fear of God blend naturally; mixing and merging, reinventing silhouettes and proportions.’
'We both knew where the gap was in the men’s market,’ adds Lorenzo. ‘Right now, we are moving into a timeless era and fashion is heavily considered and elevated, but the idea and the term ‘formal’ is still scary. There’s a place in-between that speaks to both: easiness, relaxation, tailoring without compromise.’ Shop the latest highlights from the collection below.