Review of Zegna Fall 2023 Men’s Fashion Show
The Material of Luxury
By Mark Wittmer
Expertly synthesizing material innovation with a nuanced understanding of the form and function of clothing, Zegna creative director Alessandro Sartori delivered an excellent collection that beautifully explored texture, structure, and layering.
The element of the collection that Zegna seems to be most excited about, and with good reason, is its newly dubbed Oasi cashmere from local mills near the brand’s historic origin at Oasi Zegna in the Biellese Alps. In addition to embodying the collection’s theme of soft precision as it makes up beautifully textured knits as well as other, less obvious pieces, the cashmere pieces are also almost entirely traceable, and which the has committed to certifying as completely traceable by 2024. Each look shown today includes a QR code that the customer can scan to discover the garments’ lifecycle, allowing for more conscious consumption of clothing.
The cashmere joyfully announces its presence on scrumptious knit sweaters, which push the material’s possibilities to its full potential.
Similarly gorgeous but more subdued are the blazers and long coats that forego lapels and collars in favor of airy and clean simplicity. Other organic and natural materials like alpaca, wool, and cotton are also put to good use in jackets, pants, felt-like jerseys, and jersey-like felts.
Sartori is extremely fortunate as a creative director in that his position at Zegna puts him directly in touch with the earliest stages of the fabric manufacturing process, meaning the earliest stages of fabric development have a direct through line to the final silhouettes – a boon of which he took ingenious advantage.
While the show notes understandably made much to do about the materials, what shape you guide them to take is just as important, and on this front Sartori’s penchant for excellent, relaxed yet brilliantly structured tailoring was on full display. Zegna was largely responsible for the relaxed tailoring revolution we’re still seeing in menswear, and Sartori shows that he’s still one of the best in the game.
Throughout the looks, delicately impactful layering and a thoughtful reconsideration of detail and construction reveal unexpected depths belied by such an immediately sense of ease and softness.
Zegna boasts a unique practice of combining the classic with innovation. In both his understanding of fabric development as an crucial foundation in craft and consciousness, and in his ability to advance and integrate menswear categories, Sartori once again shows himself to be the perfect man at the helm of this unique house.