Alessandro Sartori was in upbeat mode during ZZegna’s press preview for the Fall collection. He’s steering the label towards a more comprehensive embrace of sustainability, and the results are not only encouraging from a technical standpoint, they’re also rather appealing from a style perspective. The key to ZZegna’s approach is the blending of high style and state-of-the-art performance, rounded up by the longtime commitment to sustainability pledged by Ermenegildo Zegna in its #UseTheExisting practice – an extensive use of recycled and repurposed materials. The Italian label is at the forefront of research in this field, and this has given ZZegna the green light (no pun intended) to address the sustainability conundrum head-on. In the collection, almost every piece had a recycled or upcycled component—from the piumini jackets’ fillings made from a third-cycle-recycled wool-nylon fiber, down to the inner soles of ultra-light shoes.
Sartori was adamant in highlighting how technology and style go hand in hand in the collection and are actually its defining character: “It’s a marriage between relaxed tailoring and activewear, with a very high high-performance factor,” he said. “We wanted to emphasize this concept both in every single outfit and in the styling of the silhouette.” He called this approach “hybridization,” examples of which abounded in the collection.
Take for instance what at first glance looked like a classic tailored double-breasted suit, sensibly worn with a sporty padded jacket. But as they say, God is in the details. The suit, cut in a sophisticated easy style with shoulders as rounded and soft as a shirt, was made in a heavenly soft 100% #UseTheExisting fabric (50% recycled wool, 50% recycled nylon from plastic bottles). The sporty padded jacket was made by combining three different techno materials, all treated to achieve high-level hygroscopic performances. The ensemble made a good argument for chic technical/sartorial hybridization.
Sartori said the concept of longevity, both of materials and of style, is at the center of ZZegna’s project. The collection was about sophisticated, polished practicality, translated into updated wardrobe staples, travel-friendly, crease-free and ready to be thrown unceremoniously into the washing machine. What further elevated its feel-good factor was the inventive, artsy sense of color which made the many hybridizations vibrant and upbeat—a clever twist that can appeal to a young, environmental-conscious audience approaching formal dressing with an unconventional attitude. Wearing a high-performance tailored suit, why not? But only if it comes with a conscience.
