October 2019_Esquire 51For Italian men’s-wear
leader Ermenegildo
Zegna, the challenge is to
tap into the altered psy-
che of the 21st-century
male. As a global brand
with century-old roots
in making the finest
cloths for tailors, Zegna
must produce designs
that are timeless, but
current as well, sartori-
ally and emotionally.
For Ermenegildo
(“Gildo”) Zegna, grand-
son of the founder of the
company and CEO of
the Ermenegildo Zegna
Group, the first step is
recognizing the intangi-
ble qualities of men now.
“We believe masculin-
ity is a state of mind, not
linked to stereotypes,”
he says. “Men have been
coming to terms with
their weaknesses and
strengths and are willing
to embrace their view of
what masculinity is.”
It’s easier perhaps to
define what modern
masculinity isn’t. Nailing
what it is is far harder.
To do that, the brand
needed a new direction
and ambassador. It
found him, for this fall,
in actor Mahershala Ali.
Zegna’s artistic direc-
A NEW MAN
ZEGNA NEEDED AN AMBASSADOR FOR ITS
NEW DIRECTION. THE COMPANY
FOUND ITS MAN IN MAHERSHALA
ALI, FRESH OFF HIS OSCAR-WINNING PER-
FORMANCE IN GREEN BOOK.tor, Alessandro Sartori,
who designs Zegna Cou-
ture and is Gildo’s cre-
ative right-hand man,
knew Ali was perfect.
“From day one, among
the panel of talents we
put together, Maher-
shala was the one of our
dreams,” he explains.
Sartori fuses technical
innovation with ele-
gance and articulates a
vision in the Couture
line that never ignores
the luxury of a brand
steeped in textiles.
“I think that today, to
create beautiful collec-
tions is not enough,” he
says. “We have the op-
portunity to go beyond
and involve people in
things that matter. The
question ‘What makes a
man?’ is the fil rouge of
the new Zegna path.
Our aim is to encourage
an open conversation
around modern mascu-
linity.” —N. S.Left: Alessandro Sartori and Ermenegildo Zegna. Above: Looks from the
Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Autumn/Winter 2019 show.