ZEGNA (formerly Ermenegildo Zegna) is an Italian luxury menswear brand founded on May 11, 1910 by an 18-year-old named Ermenegildo Zegna, along with his brothers Edoardo and Mario and a partner, Costanzo Giardino Vitri, in Trivero, in the Biella province of the Piedmont Alps in northern Italy. Ermenegildo was the son of Angelo Zegna — a local watchmaker — who had to legally emancipate his youngest son to allow him to sign the founding documents, as 18-year-olds were not yet of legal age. What began as four wool looms in an Alpine village has grown over four generations of the Zegna family into one of the world’s pre-eminent luxury menswear groups, owning Thom Browne (acquired 2018) and Tom Ford Fashion (acquired 2023) alongside the ZEGNA brand, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange since December 2021.
Key Facts
- Founded: May 11, 1910 (as Zegna & Giardino wool mill)
- Founder: Ermenegildo Zegna (born 1892, Trivero; died 1966)
- Headquarters: Milan, Italy (operational home); Trivero, Biella (wool mill)
- Artistic Director: Alessandro Sartori (since June 2016)
- Group: Ermenegildo Zegna Group NV (NYSE: ZGN); also owns Thom Browne and Tom Ford Fashion
- Industry: Italian Luxury Menswear, Textiles
History
Ermenegildo Zegna had graduated from the Professional School of Biella as a textile expert and immediately co-founded the wool mill with his brothers and Vitri. After Vitri’s departure, Ermenegildo ran the mill with his brother Mario until the early 1940s, when his sons Aldo and Angelo joined and eventually took over in 1966. The company became Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna e Figli (“Ermenegildo Zegna and Sons Wool Mill”). A visionary beyond business, Ermenegildo initiated a large-scale reforestation project in the 1930s, planting over 500,000 conifers and rhododendrons in the mountains around Trivero — the foundation of today’s Oasi Zegna nature reserve (100km², established 1993), which he opened to the public. He also funded the construction of a road (the 232 Panoramica Zegna, 44.5km), a school, a hospital, a cinema, and housing for his workers.
The second generation (Aldo and Angelo) oversaw the brand’s transition from pure fabric production to luxury ready-to-wear menswear. The third generation (Gildo and Paolo Zegna, Ermenegildo’s grandsons) led the group from the late 1990s onwards and drove international expansion and the acquisition of luxury textile mills in Biella. In 2021, ahead of its NYSE listing, the group rebranded its mainline from “Ermenegildo Zegna” to simply “ZEGNA.” Alessandro Sartori, who first joined Zegna in 1989 and served as Creative Director of Z Zegna (2003–2011) before spending five years at Berluti, returned as Artistic Director in 2016. From January 2026, Ermenegildo’s great-grandsons Edoardo and Angelo Zegna became co-CEOs of the ZEGNA brand.
Craftsmanship and Products
The Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna in Trivero — still in operation — is among the most respected wool mills in the world, producing fabrics for Zegna collections and supplying premium suiting fabric to luxury houses including Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Tom Ford. Zegna owns wool farms in Australia (including the Achill Farm for ultra-fine Merino) and is one of the only luxury houses to control its supply chain from raw wool to finished garment. The Triple Stitch sneaker (introduced 2014) represents the brand’s successful move into luxury footwear.
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