As the Market Tightens, the Italian House of Zegna Offers a Blueprint for Focused Growth
We all know the current mood: cautious budgets, hesitant buyers, brands doing a delicate dance between ambition and austerity. Growth feels elusive, attention spans are shorter, and loyalty isn’t what it used to be. So what’s a house to do? The ones making progress aren’t chasing every new thing — they’re narrowing their focus to the only thing that truly matters: the customer.
Which brings me to Zegna.
Before heading to Dubai — where I’ll be reporting live as the house stages its first-ever show outside Italy — I dropped by their Milan flagship to get a sense of how the story was playing out at retail. What I found wasn’t flash. It was something rarer: calm confidence, quiet energy, and a room that was actually… buzzing.
This, from a brand that pre-Covid was 90% suiting. Today? It’s a fully realized luxury lifestyle proposition, grounded in relaxed sophistication and the kind of fabric obsession that doesn’t need to shout. Everything from the updated logo to the rethought store layout says: we’ve evolved — and we know who we’re here for.
Credit goes to a rare pairing: a visionary creative director and a risk-tolerant CEO with skin in the game. Ermenegildo Zegna — grandson of the founder — dropped not only his grandfather’s name from the logo, but his own. That’s not branding. That’s clarity. He and Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori didn’t iterate their way into the future — they pivoted with conviction, betting big on luxury leisurewear, elevated workwear, and a culture of modern craftsmanship.
But this isn’t just a story about product. It’s about presence. While other boutiques sat empty that day, Zegna’s was alive with energy — not just from foot traffic, but from real connection. I spoke with a sales associate who’s worked at nearly every luxury house in Milan. “This is the first one where the values they preach actually show up in how we serve,” she told me. That stuck.
Because service is Zegna’s secret sauce. From inviting clients to family-style lunches at Villa Zegna to behind-the-scenes shoe experiences blending glove-making with tech, they’re not just courting spend — they’re earning trust. And it’s working. Since 2019, the brand’s acquired customers are seven years younger, spend nearly 60% more, and return more than twice as fast.
Zegna didn’t find growth by chasing trends. They found it by remembering that luxury is a relationship — and the strongest ones are built when you meet your customer eye-to-eye.
In a moment when many of us are wondering what’s next, maybe the better question is: who’s next? And how are we showing up for them?
So as we all brace for a year that’s more marathon than sprint, Zegna offers a gentle reminder: it’s not about doing more, it’s about doing what matters — and doing it well. In times of uncertainty, clarity is luxury. And right now, the clearest path forward might just be the simplest one: put the customer at the center, and build outward with purpose, craft, and conviction.
Here’s to sharper focus, stronger connections, and style with substance — you got this!
See you at the next stop.
Warm Regards,
Kenneth Richard
Chief Impressionist
