Zegna may have been dressing men since 1910, but that’s not to say it can’t move with the times. The Italian fashion label is rooted in tradition, heritage and craftsmanship, but it has always had its eye on the future.
From the earliest days, when Ermenegildo Zegna set up his wool mill and began producing fabric on his four looms in Trivero, Italy, he was ahead of his time.
He was an eco-warrior before the term even existed and understood that the success of the company was linked to its relationship with the local community.
He built medical centres, schools and the Panoramica Zegna, a 14-kilometre road linking Trivero to Bielmonte. He also planted half a million conifers, as well as rhododendrons and hydrangeas, transforming Trivero’s barren mountainside into a garden that was open to all.
Zegna is now one of the world’s largest luxury menswear labels and that innovative spirit is still a cornerstone of the brand – evident in the way it is embracing the digital sphere.
The fashion house has recently launched Zegna X, a new digital ecosystem and customisation tool. The result of two years of testing and development, the Zegna X suite includes the brand’s current outreach app, which already accounts for 45 per cent of the label’s full-price retail revenue.
The service allows Zegna’s sale advisers to interact directly with customers – via SMS, email, social media, WhatsApp and WeChat. Newly added is a service that will allow Zegna X to “bridge the gap between physical stores and digital channels”. The brand is taking its made-to-measure offering in to the digital space, with a 3D style configurator that incorporates the personal requirements of individual clients – from cut, colour and styling, to measurements and materials.
The service will initially be applied to Zegna’s luxury leisurewear collection, which amounts to 2,300 products. According to the brand, this translates as 49 billion potential combinations of clothing and styles, which can be custom-made and delivered worldwide in less than four weeks. “Technology is a luxury when it makes your life easier,” says Edoardo Zegna, chief marketing, digital and sustainability officer of the Italian brand and one of Ermenegildo’s great grandsons. “At Zegna, we see digital as something way bigger than a mere sales channel.
“After a two-year pilot programme, Zegna X is successfully redefining the personalised services and styling we provide to our customers, through the lens of a unique digital experience. Adding our made-to-measure service to this innovative 3D configurator is a direct extension of Zegna X.”
A Zegna X 3D configurator in-store maxi screen was unveiled at the brand’s Milan store during the Milan Furniture Fair in April, and launched across key global stores immediately afterwards.
Zegna’s tailoring service will be added by the end of this year and, by next year, consumers will be able to customise any look in Zegna’s collection using their personal devices.
