February 12, 2026 |
Ermenegildo Zegna had quite the extraordinary life. The youngest of 10 children, he co-founded a woollen mill in 1910 in Trivero, in the Alps of Northern Italy, bearing his family’s name. A visionary entrepreneur, Zegna has passed down his expertise in the world’s finest natural fibres and fabrics from one generation to the next, which has allowed the company to grow into not only one of the industry’s biggest wool suppliers, but a titan menswear brand in its own right.
The mill still stands there today, situated in Oasi Zegna, a 38.6 square mile natural territory of land featuring over 500,000 trees. Ermenegildo called the beautiful stretch of land his “masterpiece”, in which the memories behind six olfactory scents which make up Zegna’s new Memorie fragrance collection. Turning to trio of revered master perfumers – Dominique Ropion, Fabrice Pellegrin and Quentin Bisch – each fragrance is housed in a gradient glass bottle with an ashwood cap and reflects a chapter in the founder’s life, revealed in an intentional sequence.
Beginning the journey is Il Calamaio, which embodies Ermenegildo sitting in his office. Ropion imagined the scents that might’ve lingered in the air: the smell of ink, his leather arm chair and notebook, inspiring an amber-y scent with an almost tobacco-like twang to it achieved through an oud accord. Next up is Il Lanificio, inspired by a trip Pellegrin took to tour around the Zegna mill. “When I encountered this place for the first time, I was completely caught by the sweet, reassuring smell that made a strong emotion emerge in me,” he says of the scent which is a Vanilla Suede. “It’s also the expertise, the savoir faire the heritage that I have tried to translate into this fragrance.”
It might not be known widely, but Ermenegildo was a bit of a petrol-head and loved his motors. A Trivero, the elegant third fragrance, sees Bisch imagine the founder entering his garage, stepping into his Lancia Aurelia and cruising through the luscious Alpine landscapes, where moments of lavender linger with rose damascena and myrrh. “The idea was to try to reinterpret a symbol, this garage, and the treasure that is hidden in the garage, which is this car. I wanted to create a perfume that would feel like a car going at race speeds, crossing the mountains, starting in the garage, ending in the garage. It’s a journey across the Oasi, a journey where a man is driving his car.”
Il Sottobosco, which translates to “undergrowth”, captures the aromas of Oasi Zegna, where wet leaves glisten and pine needles crunch underfoot. “I was lucky enough to enjoy the same experience as Ermenegildo during his walks into the woods in his Oasi, says Pellegrin. “It was just after a heavy rain, I felt exactly the same feelings as him, the smells of musk, the leaves, wood and minerality.” The result is a fresh sensation combining pink pepper, carrot seeds and patchouli. Still inside the Oasi, Ropion pictures the 232 Road that winds through the towering trees, bathed in glorious sunlight as Ermenegildo travels back home. “I wanted to illustrate the feeling that we can perceive upon this road. There is, of course, this pine, this aromatic confusion that you can have in the air. This scent construction is around the pine needle, lavender for the aromatic effect with some vetiver accord. There’s heat in this perfume, La Panoramica, it’s quite fresh and joyful with all these elements.”
Saga del Piemonte marks the end to Ermenegildo’s day. It is possibly the most intriguing scent with the inclusion of ratafia, the scent of the sweet dessert wine Ermenegildo liked to enjoy as a night cap. “It’s the moment where Ermenegildo was joining his relatives to share a moment together for some exchanges,” says Pellegrin, who combines the cherry note with coffee accord, Ratafia and cedarwood Virginia. It symbolises a sense of closure, but also the promise of a new morning ahead. As Zegna puts it: “the legacy continues.”
Photography courtesy of Zegna. Zegna’s Memorie fragrance collection is now available for purchase at Harrods.com and Zegna.com.
