In partnership with ZEGNA
Amid the picturesque peaks of the Biella Alps in Piedmont, northern Italy, lies Oasi Zegna, a 100 sq km slice of Edenic natural territory where Ermenegildo Zegna – founder of the eponymous Italian house – opened his first wool mill in 1910. Marking not only the birthplace of ZEGNA, it also set out the house’s commitment to the natural world: alongside the mill, Ermenegildo would begin fostering a thriving ecosystem by planting conifer trees, which now number 500,000 and counting.
Born in Oasi Zegna: The Book
‘Born in Oasi Zegna’, published by Rizzoli New York
A richly illustrated new tome from the brand, ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ celebrates this heritage over a century on (it also marks three decades since Oasi Zegna was designated a natural territory in 1993). Published by Rizzoli New York, the book comprises texts by Italian journalist Chidozie Obasi alongside a catalogue of archival and contemporary images capturing the territory’s lush vegetation and vast undulating landscapes, some adorned with playful illustrations by Paolo Bacilieri, Cecilia Carlstedt and Giuseppe Ragazzini. ZEGNA says that it is a celebration of where its values were born.
A spread from the book, featuring an archival photograph of Ermenegildo Zegna, the house’s founder
These values infuse ZEGNA’s collections under Alessandro Sartori, whose oeuvre celebrates the natural fibres that have long been the bedrock of the brand. Recent seasons have seen him exalt cashmere and linen, the runway shows themselves backdropped with vast piles or bales of the fabric in its rawest form. ‘Every road and every path at Zegna starts from and leads to Oasi Zegna,’ says the house.
The accompanying ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ exhibition, which was show at ZEGNA’s HQ during Milan Design Week
The release of the book was celebrated during Milan Design Week this past April with an immersive exhibition that took place at the ZEGNA headquarters and featured vegetation evocative of that found in the territory. On the street, meanwhile, ZEGNA has been named the ‘custodian’ of the flowerbeds on Milan’s Piazza Duomo, which have been planted with flora inspired by Oasi Zegna.
'Born in Oasi Zegna: The Book’ is published by Rizzoli New York. Out now.
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