Ermenegildo Zegna

More than one hundred years of fabrics, innovation, quality and style

Fabric no. 1 (1910) by Damiano AndreottiFondazione Zegna

Fabric "Number 1" was designed by Ermenegildo Zegna himself, drawing and diligently noting every single weft and warp of it in one of his notebooks. This first Zegna fabric was created in 1910.

Personal notebooks of Ermenegildo Zegna by Mitchell FeinbergFondazione Zegna

Ermenegildo Zegna's personal notebooks are stored in the Zegna archive. Inside them there are various information regarding the activity of the Wool Mill.

Showroom of D'Andrea Brothers (1938)Fondazione Zegna

In New York, in spring 1938, Ermenegildo Zegna opened his first branch to distribute exclusively Zegna Italian fabrics to foreign tailors.

External view of Centro Assistenziale Zegna (1960/1965) by Rodolfo MazzeranghiFondazione Zegna

In 1932 Ermenegildo Zegna began the construction of a structure to be used for social welfare activities: a center for purchases, for health care and to spend leisure time.

Panoramica Zegna road under construction (1947/1950)Fondazione Zegna

The "Panoramica Zegna" is a road that owes its existence to the "green thought" of Ermenegildo Zegna and his ambitious projects for safeguarding and promoting the mountains in the Trivero area.

Panoramica Zegna road under construction (1953)Fondazione Zegna

In 1938 work started on the construction of the road whose name reflects its most obvious characteristic (the panorama offered along the route) and the name of its originator and funder.

Hotel Restaurant Bucaneve, Rodolfo Mazzeranghi, 1970, From the collection of: Fondazione Zegna
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The work E. Zegna put into revitalizing the mountains was not limited to the "Panoramica Zegna" road, but also aimed to develop the area economically and for tourism, with Bielmonte as a ski resort.

Opening of the first Zegna boutique in Paris (1980)Fondazione Zegna

In the 1960s Ermenegildo left the company in the hands of his sons, Angelo and Aldo Zegna, who introduced the Ready-to-Wear in 1967 and opened the first Zegna boutique in Paris in 1980.

The first Zegna boutique (1980)Fondazione Zegna

The cousins Ermenegildo "Gildo" and Paolo Zegna (2009) by Ben BakerFondazione Zegna

Today the Zegna Group is led by Ermenegildo (Gildo) Zegna as CEO and his cousin Paolo is Chairman.

Ermenegildo Zegna Global Headquarters (2009) by Leo TorriFondazione Zegna

Art and Architecture

Ermenegildo Zegna Global Headquarters

Ermenegildo Zegna Global Headquarters, Leo Torri, 2009, From the collection of: Fondazione Zegna
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In 2007 the Ermenegildo Zegna Headquarters was opened in Via Savona in Milan, in the 'Savona-Tortona' section, the area where Italian fashion and artistic communities are concentrated.

Ermenegildo Zegna Global Headquarters, Leo Torri, 2009, From the collection of: Fondazione Zegna
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Designed by the acclaimed studios of architect Antonio Citterio and associates and Studio Beretta, the building blends Zegna's sophisticated and understated elegance with classic modernity.

Ermenegildo Zegna Global Headquarters (2009) by Leo TorriFondazione Zegna

Woollen – La Mela Reintegrata is the work of art that Michelangelo Pistoletto created in 2007 specifically for the Zegna Foundation and is located at the entrance to the Zegna Headquarters in Milan.

"Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy" (1963) by Stephen WalkerFondazione Zegna

Zegna rewards uncompromising quality

To create its fabrics, Ermenegildo Zegna starts from the finest raw materials and the most prized fibers available. In 1963, with this aim in mind, Zegna started to award a series of trophies to breeders whose attain the kind of uncompromising quality required by Zegna.

The Perpetual Trophy was set up in 1963 to encourage wool growers to improve the characteristics and special qualities of their flocks and obtain the finest wool in the world. The trophy itself was designed and made by the sculptor Stephen Walker.

"Ermenegildo Zegna Mohair Trophy" (1970) by Eberhard DechowFondazione Zegna

The Mohair Trophy was set up in 1970 in collaboration with the Mohair Board to encourage South African growers to improve the quality of their kid mohair and at the same time secure the best fleeces for Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna. Ermenegildo Zegna Group is one of the biggest buyers of this product and in some years buys up most of the best quality production. The fiber is used to make a number of fabrics with unique luster and crease-resistance. Over time however, mohair tends to thicken, so Zegna only uses kid mohair from animals under ten months.

"Ermenegildo Zegna Cashmere Trophy" (1985) by Brandimarte GuscelliFondazione Zegna

The Cashmere Trophy, assigned for the first time in June 1985 and just for two editions, was set up as an incentive to herders in Inner Mongolia to maintain and improve the characteristics of their goats. Cashmere is one of the most highly prized natural fiber fleeces and has always been an emblem of warmth and class, while Inner Mongolia (northern China) is where the world's finest quality cashmere is produced, thanks to the particular species of animal and the environmental conditions they live in. The trophy is a 1,500 g silver platter measuring 50 cm in diameter and hand engraved by Florentine master silversmith Brandimarte Guscelli.

"Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy" (2002) by Not VitalFondazione Zegna

Ermenegildo Zegna, with the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association, set up the Vellus Aureum Trophy, the prize for the finest and most highly valued Merino wool fleece produced. Only fleeces with an average fineness of under 14 micron are eligible. From 2002 to 2012 the winner was given a replica of the Vellus Aureum made by the Swiss sculptor Not Vital and, in recent years, the equivalent in gold of the weight of the winning fleece (since 2011 a fixed quantity of 750 grams).

"Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy", new edition (2013) by Kiki SmithFondazione Zegna

To celebrate the Vellus Aureum winner of the 2013 edition, a new trophy has been created by American artist Kiki Smith. The original sculpture “The Sun’s yarn” is preserved in The Zegna Archive in Trivero. It is a special edition sculpture conceived as a composition of four elements of the wool cycle: the sheep, a spindle and a ball of wool. Arranged together on a piece of Zegna’s exclusive new Trofeo Comfort fabric in pied-de-poule pattern, the trophy pays homage to the longstanding tradition of excellence in Australian ultrafine wools. Thirteen copies have been made, which will be used for the next several years to award the winners of the Vellus Aureum Trophy.

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Curated by Archivio Zegna

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