Ermenegildo Zegna: A heritage of quality, a culture of beauty

There is nothing so beautiful as the perfect male form, immortalized for ages in classic Greek and Roman statuary.  Nothing compares to a perfectly cut suit to highlight the beauty and majesty of the male physique.  Perhaps the reason Ermenegildo Zegna is the choice of the world’s best-dressed men for the past century is its constant redefinition of classical elegant tailoring showcasing a man’s best assets.  Steeped in the Italian tailoring tradition honed by decades of experience, the Zegna suit is always meant to flatter the wearer, making him look slim and well-proportioned, even if nature did not make him that way. 

But tailoring is only as good as the raw material used.  And this is where Zegna is way ahead of the pack.  With men’s tailoring centered on Savile Row in England, it was Angelo and his son Ermenegildo Zegna’s opening of a textile mill in 1910 that revolutionized tailoring in Italy and placed it in the map of coveted luxury men’s wear.  Using the best technology and the finest wool available, coupled with the advantage of presoaking in the waters of the Italian Alps, something sought after by cloth merchants since the Middle Ages, they produced the most supple, lightweight wool which is every tailor’s dream because of the way it falls and drapes on the body.  Not to mention that it’s comfortable even during those hot, Mediterranean summers, a feature that made it perfect even in the tropics.  

Now run by the fourth-generation family members, Zegna has remained at the forefront in developing new fabrics, some of which take up to two years from conception to final sample.  Although up-to-the-minute computer-aided technology is used, the human eye and hand are still very much valued here.  Highly trained tribunali inspectors, some of whom are the third generation to occupy the same station, check the mills and fabrics with a magnifying glass to make sure only the best leaves the factory.  The story of quality actually begins at the very source of the natural fibers:  the farms where the wool, cashmere, mohair and silk come from.  To make sure the finest fibers are developed, Zegna even gives trophies and incentives to farmers in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.  Through  increasingly sophisticated selection, these natural fibers have reached high levels of quality, making it possible to produce the finest, most luxurious fabrics which were never possible before.  Their superfine 15 mil mil 15 wool fabric, for example, with an average fineness of 15 microns (a micron is one thousandth of a millimeter), is already comparable to the finest varieties of cashmere.  There are also fantastic pure cashmeres, silks, mohair, and blends like silk-wool  and cashmere-cotton which you just have to feel for yourself at the Zegna boutique in Rustan’s Makati.

The newly renovated boutique itself is an experience in luxury.  Italian designers Gianmaria and Roberto Beretta of Studio Beretta in Milan implemented a streamlined, linear look using materials, finishes, and details synonymous with fine Italian craftsmanship:  natural woods, brushed metal surfaces,  shelves in leather with saddle stitched edges, woven leather sofas, and silk chenille armchairs in dark chocolate. 

Alessandro Raniolo, managing director for South East Asia, India and Australia, welcomed us to Ermenegildo Zegna’s posh new home in the Philippines.  He could be a model for the brand himself, looking dapper in a black suit made of Trofeo, a new wool and silk blend with a natural luster, matched with smart Zegna lace-ups.  The new slim Milano silhouette, fitted him perfectly and looked made-to-measure, but he said it was just off the rack:  “I was always a customer of Zegna, way before I started working for the company in 2005. It was a brand I identified with. I have always enjoyed the Italian sartorial tradition and its attention to detail.”

Top-Of-The-Line Couture

He excitedly showed us the new spring summer 2008 collection starting with “Couture,” the top line for connoisseurs who appreciate the ultimate in handcrafted tailoring. Characterized by rich luxurious details, noble materials and  the trademark cross-stitch, the suits are made in Zegna’s Italian artisan factories, with each piece fully canvassed, cut, constructed and sewn by hand using the finest fabrics.  Classic two buttons and double-breasted jackets are offered in traditional cuts or fully deconstructed and unlined versions.  The silhouette, as always, is flattering, closely following the contours of the body with higher lapels and horn buttons.  The color palette is regal blue and sophisticated silver grey, with highlights of dusty pink and light  blue.  Fabrics are ultra luxe:   Blended 14mil mil14 wools give a soft, silky handle while pure cashmere and 14 microns light wool suiting, weighing 220 grams, ensure sophisticated ease and comfort for the hot summer days.

With its refined simplicity and elegance, the line definitely looked like it was made for top business leaders and statesmen. “We have a lot of customers who are leaders in business and in government but also in a lot of professions, even in the art world, artists, and musicians,” Raniolo confirmed.  Whichever field you’re in, though, a suit from this line will take you easily from business daywear to party eveningwear.

Contemporary Sartoria

The Sartoria line, on the other hand, redefines classic Italian style with a contemporary feel.  It’s for the man who expresses his individuality and masculinity through impeccably cut tailoring.  Immersed in Italian heritage, it’s a sophisticated business wardrobe.  The fabrics here are an artful blending of  sumptuous fabrics from nature’s finest raw materials.  The innovation of the season is 15mil mil15 cotton, blending superfine Austrian wool and the finest pure cotton:  Definitely the perfect summer suiting fabric! 

The “Milano” tailoring in this line has a slimmer silhouette with natural shoulders and shirtsleeve construction and comes in fresh summer colors of  greys, warm tobacco shades, and urban blues.  To enrich the tailoring, there are exquisite details like fancy jacket linings recalling archived striped shirt designs, hand-stitched chalk stripe livery fabric additions under the lapels and alongside the inside flap pocket, white mother-of-pearl buttons, and a new “Barchetta” detail of the curved chest pocket.

Casual Elegance

And for after hours and weekends?   Raniolo proferred the “Upper Casual” collection: “It’s for someone who appreciates couture suits for formal wear, but when he goes casual wants clothes with very fine fabrics like cashmere and supple leather.  It’s for someone who still wants to be very refined in his choice of clothing without being formal.”   Refined, indeed:  Cashmere polo shirts are effortlessly combined with cotton linen blazers and poplin trousers while soft, chocolate suede jackets are worn with washed oxford button down shirting and chintz linen shorts in warm summer tones.

The Future Of Outerwear Is Here

The must-covet for casual wear is the Elements jacket, particularly because it’s a milestone breakthrough in fabric and garment history:  It’s the first intelligent garment that autonomously adapts to regulate body temperature in all weather conditions, thanks to the expanding and contracting pores of a revolutionary membrane applied to the inner surface of the fabric.  It comes in lightweight Cashco, a cashmere-cotton blend or in a wool-silk blend variant.  An added bonus is the Micronsphere finishing process (also available with couture suits) which makes the jacket stain and water-resistant.  This is definitely the perfect traveling companion, from sipping a cappuccino at a piazza in Rome to sailing at Costa Smeralda or walking the slopes in St. Moritz.

For those who have to stay connected, another technological marvel is Zegna Sport’s  Solar-JKT jacket, a futuristic fashion statement with solar cells on a detachable neoprene collar which can recharge, and keep charged, cell phones, iPods, and other electronic devices. Converting solar light into sustainable and renewable energy, electronic textile wires distribute the power to a rechargeable battery or direct to the electronic device, all in a green, clean and environmentally friendly way. 

Zegna has actually been environmentally aware from the time it started operations in the early 1900s.  Ermenegildo always understood that the quality he sought for his products could not be separated from a positive relationship with the land and the community. The beauty of the natural environment and people’s well-being were indispensable for a company’s long-term success.  So aside from bringing riches to their village through employment, he also built libraries, gyms, theatres, medical centers and schools for their community in Trivero.  He also dedicated himself to the local environment and landscape by planting thousands of trees and building the Panoramica Zegna road linking Trivero to a tourist resort in the mountains.  This green tradition continued with the new generation:  Zegna Oasis, a 100-square-kilometer nature park was created in the ’90s and today, the Zegna sisters Anna and  Renata run the Fondazione Zegna, committed to improving the life of individuals and communities, safeguarding the environment, promoting culture, and supporting medical and scientific research.

With such a solid foundation, there is no doubt that there’s a bright future ahead for Zegna which continues to expand globally.  In the Philippines, Store Specialists, Inc. under the dynamic Anton Huang is also assuring the future of Zegna as the purveyor of luxury men’s wear in country. Happy with their relationship with their local counterpart, Raniolo intimated “Zegna has had a strong market here for the past 12 years.  We are in fact expanding.  We’re renovating again this year to have a larger store to carry more product lines. We’re also bringing in the Su Misura made-to-measure service, with an Italian specialist coming regularly starting this month, to attend to clients who want the ultimate in custom tailored clothing made to their specifications and all finished by hand.”

Now, that’s wonderful news for all style connoisseurs.

* * *

The Ermenegildo Zegna boutique is located at Level I, Rustan’s Ayala Avenue, Makati City