Last week in Milan, Zegna hosted a multi-site takeover to celebrate its latest Rizzoli-published book, Born in Oasi Zegna. Timed to Design Week, pop-ups in the city took place in some of its most storied spaces—from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Piazza del Duomo to the fashion brand’s headquarters on Via Savona.
Zegna at Milan Design Week
Courtesy of Zegna.
Courtesy of Zegna.
Two Zegna newsstands opened across Milan, starting with one on the tree-lined street Via dei Giardini, M3 Montenapoleone. There, a standalone structure offered the brand’s latest title and one of its limited-edition tote bags—produced specifically for the week.
The second, entitled “Oasi Zegna Nel Mondo,” was found in Piazza del Duomo, offering the same titles and totes. It celebrated Zegna’s recently-announced vow to “host” the Piazza del Duomo’s iconic flowerbeds for the next three years, designed by HORTENSIA. Tied to Zegna’s ongoing dedication to nature, it ensures planting, upkeep, and natural health. At Rizzoli’s store in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the book-and-bag offering was also available.
Courtesy of Zegna.
“We are pleased to welcome the Oasi Zegna project to Milan, proposed to give a new face to the flowerbeds in Piazza del Duomo and we are glad to know that, from the heart of our city, Zegna will start a new international initiative towards environment,” said Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan.
“With camphor groves and rotating plants, including rhododendrons, depending on the season, Zegna brings a valuable naturalistic experience and landscape knowledge to the heart of our city, through which conveying the sustainability commitment and respect for biodiversity that distinguish its action: a nice way to welcome the many visitors to Milan and an interesting stimulus to their curiosity and reflection on the topic of sustainability,” continued Sala.
Zegna’s Headquarters in Milan
Courtesy of Zegna.
Courtesy of Zegna.
At Zegna’s Antonio Citterio-designed headquarters, an immersive multi-level exhibition guided guests through Oasi Zegna’s story—from its Trivero foundation in 1910 as a wool mill to Zegna’s work in the industry today. As an exploration of fashion, art, science, and sustainability, the show featured projected videos that reveal a look at Zegna’s making-of process; commissioned artworks, like The Reinstated Apple by Michelangelo Pistoletto, that spoke to the merging of the natural and artificial world. Also on view is a major nature-based installation in its courtyard, centered around its large planted tree, featuring a floor covered in countless leaves and hills made of books that burrowed the roots of other trees. On its rooftop, guests gathered to see orange hues against a blue sky to toast to Born in Oasi Zegna.
An Atelier Visit in Trivero
Courtesy of Zegna.
Oasi Zegna, photo by Eliza Jordan.
After attending Zegna’s Milan Design Week activations, Whitewall ventured with the brand to the grounds that inspired the recent book—Oasi Zegna. Located in Trivero, a city nestled into the Biella Alps of Piedmont, it was here that in 1910 Ermenegildo Zenga established a wool mill. At the time in this part of North Italy, no other community infrastructure existed until Zegna transformed the remote location into an active community bustling with infrastructure. First, that was through construction, by connecting the two sides of the area’s main mountain to form 232 Road. Then, it was by building new facilities, including a hospital and a community center. And by way of sheer expertise, it happened through business, turning his small atelier of four mills into a worldwide production of the finest materials.
Inspiration From the Inside of Zegna
Oasi Zegna, photo by Eliza Jordan.
Oasi Zegna, photo by Eliza Jordan.
At Oasi Zegna’s 62-mile compound, we toured part of the lush and expansive site, starting with the brand’s main welcome home—filled with art, stained glass, and even a bocce court—before moving on to its archive, workshops, and the Zegna family’s personal villa. In Zegna’s archive, perfectly preserved documents and garments from the past 114 years are neatly kept. Stored in leather binders and metal boxes are swatches of fabrics produced by both Zegna and other mills, kept for records and inspiration. Accompanying the materials were also fabric “recipes,” as our historian guide called them, that map out exactly how each fabrication is made—from color to cross-stitch.
Then, we moved into the brand’s design and manufacturing workshops, viewing rooms of looms, weaving stations, bushels of fine wool, new textiles, and more. Lessons on how to differentiate wool, spot errors in fabrics, and program a loom followed.
Oasi Zegna, photo by Eliza Jordan.
Once outside, we learned about Zegna’s ongoing dedication to caring for nature and reforestation, which has sparked the planting of over 500,000 trees since its foundation in 1910. Each tree on site is numbered to ensure it’s monitored and recorded, adding to the larger picture of Oasi Zegna’s mission—creating cohesion between humans, industry, and nature.
As we wandered through the greenery, past its historic fountains and rock-laden paths, we were treated to lunch at the Zegna family’s villa, complete with a multi-course meal by the three-Michelin-starred eatery Da Vittorio, a performance by an opera singer and a piano player from Accademia Teatro alla Scala, and impactful words by third-generation family member and President of Fondazione Zegna, Anna Zegna.
Oasi Zegna, photo by Eliza Jordan.
