Written by: Bárbara Cruz
Ermenegildo Zegna is an Italian luxury fashion house that makes men’s clothing and accessories; with over 550 monobrand stores and annual revenue of over €1 billion, it is the largest menswear brand in the world. Founded in 1910 when Ermenegildo bought his father’s textile looms, it is now managed by the fourth generation of the Zegna family and remains in family ownership. As well as producing men’s suits for its own labels, it manufactures suits for labels such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Dunhill and Tom Ford. As one of the biggest global producers of fine fabrics (2.3 million metres per year), Zegna has been active in promoting improvements in wool production around the world. The head designer is Stefano Pilati, formerly of Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior.
Ermenegildo Zegna founded the company in 1910 in Trivero in the Biellese prealps. Zegna quickly gained a reputation for producing fine quality wool for suits, and by the end of the 1930s, the wool mill employed 1,000 workers. In 1938 the Zegna Woollens Corporation was set up in New York although exports were not helped by the privations of war.
See also: Top Luxury Brands | Pierre Cardin
When Ermenegildo Zegna’s sons Aldo (born 1920) and Angelo (born 1924) joined the company in 1942, it was renamed Ermenegildo Zegna and Sons. By 1955, the company employed 1,400 workers.
Ermenegildo died in 1966 at the age of 74. Aldo and Angelo took over the business, and two years later they launched a line of ready-to-wear men’s suits produced in Zegna’s factory in Novara.
Another factory was opened in Spain in 1973 and Switzerland in 1977. As of 1999, the Zegna Group had eight manufacturing plants in Italy, two in Spain, three in Switzerland, one in Mexico and one in Turkey. While many Zegna suits are factory-produced, the majority of premium suits are still made-to-measure.
The first boutique was opened in Paris in 1980, followed by Milan in 1985. In 2010 their numbers had grown to 560 boutiques, of which over 300 are controlled by the company. Zegna’s flagship boutique locations are mostly found in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.
Aldo died in 2000; Angelo remains the honorary president of the company.
Zegna’s range includes fabrics, suits, neckties, knitwear, shirts, accessories and sportswear. They have also branched out in other areas, for instance upholstering the interior of automobiles such as the Lancia Trevi Volumex in 1982, and a limited edition, sixth generation Maserati Quattroporte sedan.
Ermenegildo Zegna has a yearly output of over 2.3 million meters of fabric, 600,000 sleeve units suits, 1.6 million pieces of sportswear and 1.7 million textile accessories. Zegna employs over 7,000 workers worldwide. The export quota was more than 90% in 2010 divided equally between Europe, Americas and Asia.
As one of the biggest buyers of ultra-fine Merino wool, Ermenegildo Zegna has encouraged, supported and rewarded the efforts of the Australian wool industry since 1963 in the production of finer and softer wools.
In 2002 the Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy was launched for wool that is 13.9 micron and finer. Wool from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa may be entered and a winner is named from each country.
In 2010 a soft ultra-fine, 10-micron fleece, from Windradeen, New South Wales set a new world record in the fineness of wool fleeces when it won the Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Internati.
See also: Top Luxury Brands | Dior
Most Zegna suits cost in the US$2,300–$6,500 range. Price is dependent upon several factors. Zegna’s top line is “Couture”, formerly known as “Napoli Couture”.
Ermenegildo Zegna’s Su Misura suits are Made-to-Measure and can be ordered in all Ermenegildo Zegna stores. The cost is typically 15-20% more than regular Ermenegildo Zegna suits, but the service provides clients a custom ordered suit detailed to his own specifications. Ermenegildo Zegna’s website stated, “Ermenegildo Zegna’s Su Misura service makes it possible to produce tailor-made suits, jackets, trousers, coats, shirts, [and] ties in just a few weeks, respecting the clients size and needs, and maintaining the standards of quality for which Zegna is rightfully famous”.
On July 1, 2011, Ermenegildo Zegna signed a licensing agreement with Estée Lauder Companies Inc. for exclusive global rights to market fragrances and develop new cosmetics under the Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s brands, thereby replacing the previous partnership with YSL Beauté.
In February 2014, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group signed a ten-year licensing agreement for the manufacture of eyewear with the Marcolin Group.
Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody advertised Zegna’s Spring/Summer 2003 and Fall/Winter 2003 lines. Model Ryan Burns was the face of the F/W 2012 campaign and the 2013 debut of the Uomo fragrance, as well as the summer 2015 launch of Acqua di Bergamotto fragrance. Irish actor Jamie Dornan modeled Ermenegildo Zegna Couture in 2013 for the line’s Spring/Summer 2014 campaign. Sam Riley modeled its autumn/winter 2015 campaign. The F/W 14 Lookbook was modeled by Latvian Janis Ancens and South African Shaun De Wet. In 2014 Zegna commissioned Park Chan-wook to create a 4-part series of short films collectively titled A Rose Reborn starring Daniel Wu. The Couture S/S 2015 campaign was photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin with art direction by Giovanni Bianco.
Ermenegildo Zegna stand-alone monobrand stores are located in:
- Andorra: Andorra La Vella (2)
- Angola: Luanda
- Armenia: Yerevan
- Aruba: Oranjestad
- Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne (2), Sydney (2)
- Austria: Wien
- Azerbaijan: Baku
- Bahrain: Manama
- Belarus: Minsk
- Belgium: Antwerpen, Brussels, Knokke-Het Zoute
- Brazil: Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro (2), São Paulo (3)
- Bulgaria: Sofia
- Canada: Vancouver
- Chile: Santiago (2)
- China: Beijing (8), Changchun, Chengdu (2), Chongqing, Changsha, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou (2), Hangzhou (3), Harbin, Hefei (2), Huhhot, Jinan, Kunming (2), Lanzhou, Nanjing, Nanning, Ningbo, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai (6), Shenyang (2), Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Suzhou, Taiyuan (2), Tianjin (2), Ürümqi, Wenzhou, Wuhan (3), Wuxi (2), Xiamen, Xi’an (3), Yantai, Zhengzhou
- Colombia: Bogotá
- Cyprus: Nicosia
- Czech Republic: Prague (2)
- Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo
- Egypt: Cairo
- France: Cannes, Paris (Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Avenue George V, Palais de Congrès)
- Georgia: Tblisi
- Germany: Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Mannheim, München
- Greece: Athens (2)
- Holland: Amsterdam, Roermond
- Hong Kong: 7 (including Des Voeux Road, Peking Road, Queen’s Road, International Finance Centre Mall, The Gateway)
- Hungary: Budapest
- India: Hyderabad, Mumbai (2), New Delhi (2)
- Indonesia: Jakarta (3)
- Ireland: Dublin
- Italy: Firenze (Via de’ Tornabuoni), Milano (Via Montenapoleone), Porto Cervo, Portofino, Roma, Taormina, Venezia
- Japan: Tokyo (Shinjuku, Kita-Aoyama, Yurakucho), Nagoya, Osaka (Shinsaibashi)
- Jordan: Amman
- Kazakhstan: Almaty
- Korea: Seoul (Grand Hyatt Hotel)
- Kuwait
- Latvia: Riga
- Lebanon: Beirut
- Lithuania: Vilnius
- Macau (3)
- Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur (2)
- Mexico: Cancun, Guadalajara, Mexico City (5 including Ave Masaryk), Monterrey, Puebla
- Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar
- Montenegro: Podgorica
- Morocco: Casablanca
- New Zealand: Auckland
- Nigeria: Lagos (Victoria Island)
- Panamá: Ciudad de Panamá
- Peru: Lima
- Philippines: Manila (3)
- Poland: Warszawa
- Portugal: Lisboa, Porto
- Puerto Rico: Hato Rey
- Qatar: Doha
- Russia: Ekaterinburg, Moscow (4), Nizhny Novogorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm, Rostov-On-Don, St Petersburg, Samara, Sochi
- Saudi Arabia: Jeddah, Riyadh
- Singapore (4)
- Slovenia: Ljubljana
- Spain: Barcelona (Passeig de Gràcia), Madrid, Marbella-Puerto Banús
- St Barthelemy, French West Indies
- Switzerland: Lugano, St Moritz (2), Zürich, Genève
- Taiwan: Taibei (2)
- Thailand: Bangkok (2)
- Turkey: Istanbul (2)
- Ukraine: Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv
- UAE: Abu Dhabi (2), Dubai (2)
- UK: London (New Bond Street, Sloane Street)
- USA: Beverly Hills (Rodeo Drive), Costa Mesa, Palo Alto, Aspen, Miami (Bal Harbour and Miami Design District),[22] Atlanta, Chicago (Magnificent Mile), Boston, Las Vegas (2), Short Hills, Manhasset, New York City (Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue), King of Prussia, Dallas, Houston, McLean, Virginia
- Uzbekistan: Tashkent
- Vietnam: Hanoi
Ermenegildo Zelda is also present in some airport locations around the world. You can’t miss this amazing store with high-end fashion.
See more: Top Luxury Brands | Marc Jacobs
Don’t forget to follow us on our social media!
Get Social
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google +
Sources: Wikipedia, offclouds.com, www.zegna.com, www.zeusfactor.com, topwalls.net, cdn3.tapcdn.com, essentialhommemag.com, en.pambianconews.com, batterypark.tv, thedubaimall.com/
