Sartori: "My journey with Zegna"

The r(evolution), the sustainable #UseTheExisting commitment, the listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the rebranding under a precise vision, "one label only". The new suit, luxury leisurewear and the stop to the use of fur. There are many new milestones in Zegna's journey, a journey of 112 years that continues along a marked path, which today also becomes a graphic sign, defining an identity full of values and projects. "A path worth taking", as Alessandro Sartori, Creative Director of Zegna, told MFF-Magazine For Fashion n.110, currently on newsstands, in this exclusive interview.

It has been a year since Zegna's menswear reset. Where do you feel you are in this (r)evolution?

In the phase in which the project has been figured out, understood and assimilated. And today it is particularly pleasant to see certain generations starting to dress this way. The success of a project can be seen when you go to the store and you do not know the clients, but you see them choosing pieces and having the stylist help them complete their wardrobe with a very different attitude than in the past.

How hard is it to change a "sacred monster" like men’s suit?

It is like learning a foreign language. You study the modalities, and when you get to the point where you can do it, it means you know this new language, you have its properties in your vocabulary. The first experiments resulted in small numbers and we worked mostly around the idea of the fashion show, then customers started approaching this type of product and we elaborated the formula by adding new content. Then we added new models, hybridized the fabrics. The good thing today is that this suit kind of “breaks through” generations that had never worn a suit before.

The rebranding’s core was proposed on the occasion of the listing. You were in New York ringing the bell with Gildo and Paolo Zegna, Andrea Bonomi, Sergio Ermotti and Thom Browne. How did you feel?

That was very exciting. I often use this statement for garments but not for emotions: "Those things which are so beautiful and unique that besides being indescribable from an emotional point of view, you can only experience once and only the first time". I am convinced that going there two or three times would not be the same.

Did you say something to each other on the way up to that balcony?

Gildo gave us a beautiful speech, just before, telling us what had brought us there and about some important values. And then we walked towards this place, up the staircase to get to that balcony and I have to say that only there you actually realize the importance of the moment. We were all agitated, but happy, not nervous. Agitated and happy.

What are some other strong memories you have, associated with the world of fashion?

The first Z Zegna show in New York, because it was Zegna's first time and we were at an official fashion week, NYFW, which at the time had very important names. It has been 15 years and 30 fashion shows since then, which is no small thing. I also have to mention the first show that marked my return to Zegna.

After your time at Berluti...

It was January 2017, particularly exciting.

There was also that taste of yours, perhaps developed in Paris, of putting on shows in crazy locations...

Epic locations and stories.

A Zegna family. Speaking of locations and fashion shows, we are now in a phygital moment...

My point of view, shared with Gildo and Edoardo, is that we have to follow marketing and digital, especially at a strategic level. Today, it is not enough to do a physical show with one, two, three cameras and a mix in the direction, recording the show and streaming it to the world, because we all went through that phase between 2015 and 2017, which is great, but it is no longer enough. Today, I have to give you content, because you have to be engaged and breathe the story and the emotion of the show, as the people sitting in the room do.

What about the metaverse?

It fascinates me. I think it is the future of certain brands and, in a way, the future of all of us in certain aspects of our lives. However, not all brands today are fit to take that path without having taken other steps first. (All rights reserved)