Can the old be new? Borrowing a motto from the fine watch industry – one of the last luxury businesses still booming – where time pieces are passed on from generation to generation, Zegna designer Alessandro Sartori now refers to himself as the custodian of the Zegna family as Gildo Zegna’s sons Edoardo and Angelo have become co-CEOs, and his clothing universe is inspired by the founder’s wardrobe. Entering the Zegna show space at the Palazzo del Ghiaccio for the first Milan show of the season, Sartori exhibited a hundred-year-old jacket – which doesn’t look a day over 2026 we may add – called “ABITO N.1”: the first suit, crafted in the 1930s for Count Ermenegildo Zegna in 100% Australian wool by his tailor in Torino. Centerpiece of the show was a blown-up men’s closet the models entered and exited wearing a very Zegna typical selection of great jackets, even greater coats, and billowing pants. Sartori’s clothes are meant to transcend time – therefore being easy on the eyes, easy to combine, mix and match and easy to pass on to the generations to come. A credo certainly instilled into the way younger generations dress. There are no trends being chased when the brand is the one setting it. Tailoring is back in full swing, and the people are buying it in more than one sense of the word.

Zegna F/W 2026 set

What Sartori excels at?

To meet this aspiration of timelessness, Sartori needed to tweak certain elements, to make them appealing. One of said tweaks was a new idea of closing a jacket. Classic double-breasters got another third button row added horizontally so that in the end the wearer can decide how to style it – single and sharp or double-breasted and elegant. Blazers got a second set of lapels, the shirting was double-collared, which is also an anchor in Sartori’s design process. The shifting of garment-categories is what the designer excels at. Shirts so heavy and thick they can pass as outerwear or leather jackets so light and airy that they are more of a blouson. All these are little but crucial factors in setting up a family closet that lasts more than one lifetime.

The secret ingredients?

By mixing cashmere with paper, he gave a new hand to the garments which makes everything slick and light. To say nothing of a good quality fabric obviously. But Zegna has that down as well: More double cashmeres, dense mohair gabardines, heavy wool silk fabrics in a creamy color palette. Plus, he now adds the required star power from house ambassador Mads Mikkelsen but even a new German actor like Idan Weiss who recently played Franz Kafka and is an under the radar upcoming star already on the Zegna radar.