Zegna, new beginning

«The way of presenting collections has changed several times. Today still a different formula». So begins Alessandro Sartori, creative director of Zegna, before kicking off the film that layouts the first collection after the rebranding and listing on Wall Street. «We hope that others will follow our path. Made in Italy needs to grow in size», number one Gildo Zegna told MFF just before the show. While the very few guests in the Via Savona headquarters sip mulled wine in copper mugs.

The short movie is set in the Oasi Zegna, «where it all began» and mixes indoor and outdoor. The silhouettes are soft, often over always in super experimental and natural materials, a mix of tradition and sustainable research. The short film ends with a dance performance by mimes in ochre suits and black gloves followed by a fade out on the creative director filmed in front of the Duomo of Milan. A sign of connection between ancient roots and a new path that promises to grow. «There are 80 artisans, so 160 hands that have worked since September for this collection made of 58 releases and about 300 pieces. It felt right to celebrate them».

The collection erases the old concept of single pieces and creates the «new suit»: jacket in a trapeze shape, overshirt and pants in the same material in three different weights. Knitwear is the king of the season. All cashmere will be 100% traceable. Darning becomes embroidery, an innovative concept that creates differences even between pieces of the same model. The neoprene boot is a key garment to complement.

«We had three collections before the rebranding (see MFF of 3/12/2021), now there is only one. Underpinning is another key piece», Alessandro Sartori points out in the technical presentation that follows the video. Styling becomes fundamental, it's part of the designer's proposal but can be matched in every man's imagination. The palette is sharp and divided between aubergine, vicunha, black and grass. «The show closes with the backdrop of the Duomo of Milan, where we shot at 6 am. We were just over a hundred, but we multiplied the presences to symbolize the 6 thousand employees of the company». An important signal, praised among the 70 or so professionals present at the very limited physical presentation.

Judgment. «A new beginning», defines Alessandro Sartori talking to MFF at the end of the show. The first chapter of a 111-year story that will start again on December 20, 2021, the day of the hypo on Wall street. The cashmere revolution of Sartori with Zegna continues. A new suit concept is born. Can it mark this decade and the next? The premises are there. (all rights reserved)