Ermenegildo Zegna FW21 Brings Tailoring Home

Blurring the lines between public and private.

While the past year has undeniably caused our collective interest in chic at-home attire and loungewear to skyrocket, Ermenegildo Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori has gone a step further for Ermenegildo Zegna FW21, creating a new clothing category that merges the public and private sartorial personas.

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“We all are experiencing a new reality concerned with new needs, which lead us to previously unseen lifestyles and attitudes. It is precisely at a time like this, when everything is under discussion, that we, at Zegna, have decided to (Re)set,” says creative director Alessandro Sartori. “We have looked at our roots to (Re)interpret our style codes and (Re)tailor the modern man. Outdoor and indoor come together and a new way of dressing takes hold, where comfort and style blend to create a new aesthetic.” 

Termed ‘THE (RE)SET’, the Ermenegildo Zegna FW21 collection proposes a fluidity between the personal and public spaces, with garments that retain some of the tailoring that is in Zegna’s DNA and transposes it to soft, comfortable fabrics. A variety of jersey fabrics take centre stage, appearing in fluid, adaptable shapes; at-home dressing inspires elements like shawl collars and belted robe first, while straight-cut track pants that almost resemble suiting separates force us to rethink our notions of casual dressing. 

Meanwhile, archetypal pieces take on new roles through a switch of forms, weights, and materials. Cashmere takes the form of belted chore coats, hybrid suits, and sweaters which serve to replace shirting. Sweaters knitted from leather or made from felted cashmere and knit adopt the role of outerwear, while trousers and jackets are cut from shearling. Even briefcases don’t escape the Zegna treatment, appearing in sculptural, deconstructed forms. 

The colour palette reflects the Ermenegildo Zegna FW21 collection’s progression into deconstructing both the public and private arenas, beginning with traditional beige and camel hues with a touch of alpine white, which then gives way for olive and forestrial green, grey, charcoal, the darkest of blacks, and deep brown, all interspersed with occasional orange accents. The chromatic theme is broken by the glitched pied de poule that swarm in optical jacquards, as well as the diagonal stripes that span across entire looks. 


Words by Theo Rosen