Sartori’s New Zegna Is A Fresh Take On Fabric Manipulation & Men’s Tailoring

For SS22, Zegna’s Artistic Director pushed the brand in a totally different direction, but was this the right way to go?

The digital film used to present the Zegna SS22 menswear collection in June last year highlighted what had become the new normal in a fashion industry navigating the challenges of a global pandemic; runway shows without an audience. The film directed by Mattia Benetti was shot in various locations across Italy including the IULM University in Milan, the Monte Amiata housing complex, beside the castle of Masino in Piedmont and within the Rho Fiera region of Italy. The film engaged an appetite for storytelling taking viewers from a maze of greenery to the fancy waterside dinner that ended the film.

Historically, Zegna is a brand that built its initial reputation producing and supplying luxury fabrics across the world. Always at the forefront of fabric innovation, this is an element that remains consistent throughout the brand. The collection featured recycled hemp and silk fabrics and regenerated trivero wool and cotton; emphasising the company’s commitment to pushing menswear textures forward. However, the landscape of menswear has changed drastically since the days of Ermenegildo Zegna, the original founder of the brand in 1910. The lines have been partially blurred between casual-wear, business-wear and formal-wear with major luxury brands now adopting streetwear sensibilities. Models now walk briskly across fashion week runways in elevated hoodies and sweatshirts at the frequency of a Big Ben chime. Traditionally ill-fitting suits have now been recontextualised as “deliberately oversized clothing,” the new cool.

Zegna’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori who has been part of the brand in a few stints since the early 90s but appointed the artistic director in 2016 sees this as a challenge that he welcomes. In this collection, his solution was a new-look for the brand that focused on versatility, comfort and practicality. Clothing that can be mixed and matched with one another seamlessly, to create a cohesive wardrobe. “I’ve always loved the idea of taking menswear in new directions, like bringing tailoring fabrics into sportswear, or adding technology-inspired details to suiting, this new approach mixes the worlds of active wear and casual wear within the realm of tailoring,” he explained in an interview with Sleek Magazine.

Look 9, pictures a model wearing a pair of wide white trousers, white slip-ons and a utility jacket with oversized pockets. Both pieces were made using linen. Image from Vogue Runway.

The collection included a range of utilitarian details including extra button features and straps that allow multiple fitting possibilities for the wearer. This idea of creating a cohesive wardrobe developed into the colour palette of the collection. Neutral colours were a frequent feature including tobacco brown, military green, deep grey, and black with the occasional addition of a bright hue of lilac and sky blue. Different colours available for different tastes, giving consumers an easy task of finding pieces that can be integrated into their current clothing rotation.

The silhouettes were baggier, and the styling was casual but with a sensibility of muted elegance, merging into the new normal at a time which involved a lot of hours relaxing or working from home during the pandemic. Wide slouchy trousers were paired with workwear jackets, t-shirts and kimonos while shorts were paired with sweatshirts and short sleeved shirts. A running theme within the collection was an element of extreme elongated sleeves across a majority of the pieces in the collection with short sleeves meeting or at times going past the elbow, creating an effect of a boxier silhouette.

The accessories also kept the theme of practicality alive with comfort and usability the primary consideration. Kangaroo leather bags were crafted with multiple pockets. Slip-ons with elastic inserts channelled an energy of “at home comfort.” Newly designed Chukka boots with a moulded sole in black and olive green were also on Zegna’s menu. Chukkas have remained a popular menswear shoe style for their versatility, typically worn with both suits and more casual clothing.

Sartori, a long-standing innovator within the brand continues to take his understanding of the brand’s heritage and modernise it. He describes his vision of Zegna as tuned to the needs of today. Pushing the brand forward is a very Zegna way to work as the mission statement reads “We are always evolving, finding new ways to (re)tailor the modern man.” Ultimately, Zegna has never been one for an abrupt transformation in aesthetic, rather it opts to gradually redefine its idea of tailoring and menswear one collection at a time.

Look 41, pictures a model wearing an olive green look featuring a button up shirt made and wide slouchy trousers made of regenerated Trivero wool and Chukka boots with a molded sole. The look also includes a brown work satchel made with Kangeroo leather. Image from Vogue Runway.