Throughout his tenure at Zegna, artistic director Alessandro Sartori has continually mined the brand’s extensive archive, re-contextualising the foundations that have built it into a fashion powerhouse to fit the needs and desires of today’s Zegna customer. This season, he fully immersed himself in all things Vellus Aureum, the brand’s record-breaking wool textile – with a fineness of 9.4 microns – which was introduced to the brand by its founder, Ermenegildo Zegna. (Starting in 1963, Zegna launched the Australian Wool Trophy Awards to support the innovations of the country’s woolgrowers.)
Taking over a vast arena, a man made, grass field was backdropped by towering screens. They showed vast herds of sheep, travelling a hilly Australian terrain replicated in front of us, the sound of their “baas” flooding the show space. Sartori wanted to use the ultra fine wool to craft a multi-generational wardrobe that reflected Italian style then and now. “How clothes, personal history and attitudes merge is focal for us,” he said. “The man I have in mind has raided a wardrobe in which pieces have been collected over the decades, for their emotional and material value.” The look was handsome, with a lived-in feel. Donegal suits with slouchy trousers walked alongside cocooning overcoats. Jumpers were cut into deep Vs at the neck, worn with layered shirts and plaid high-waisted woollen trousers. It was nostalgic and modern in the same breath, particularly blousons with elasticated waits and a wipe clean, dark chocolate trench with a stand-up collar. It was an elegant closing note of this season’s Milan shows.
Photography courtesy of Zegna.
