Ermenegildo Zegna takes serious pride in the production and sourcing of its garments. “For all our expertise in weaving and finishing, without closely monitoring raw materials, the most sophisticated techniques are worth nothing. Provenance is all.” The sustainability and quality of the wool they source is imperative to the brand as a whole. The wool is the backbone of their suits and is the single largest factor of their high quality suit production. Around this time each year is when Ermenegildo Zegna is hosting the annual Ermenegildo Zegna Wool Awards. From March 16 - 19 is where farmers from all over New Zealand and Australia come to compete in Melbourne, Australia to win the coveted Wool Award.

The company was started in 1910 by Ermenegildo Zegna in the alpine foothills of Trivero, Italy with one goal in mind: to produce the highest quality fabrics. At 18 is when Ermenegildo started the Lanificio Zegna (their original wool mill) and laid down the foundations for the company. Ermenegildo Zegna had a grander vision for his self-named company too, and that was to transform the people of Trivero as well as the actual town.

“By 1932, Trivero already had a meeting hall, a library, a gym, a cinema/theatre and public swimming pool. In the space of a few years, he built a medical centre and a nursery school. In the meantime, he was dedicating himself to the local environment and landscape, planting thousands of trees and building the “Panoramica Zegna” road a 14 km route linking Trivero and Bielmonte, a tourist resort 1,500 meters above sea level.” Ermenegildo’s passion for quality and pursuit of excellence does not stop with their clothes.

Today, Ermenegildo Zegna is a fully vertical company, with direct ownership of every part of their production process. From the raw wool to the final Made to Measure process, Ermenegildo Zegna has a hand in each step.