ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

WHAT’S In a Number?

INSPIRED BY THE FOUNDER’S ROAD IN OASI ZEGNA, ZEGNA INTRODUCES ITS NEW BRAND VALUES CAMPAIGN, THE 232

In the 1930s, textile entrepreneur Ermenegildo Zegna was driven by a deep sense of giving back and embarked on a vast environmental restoration project in the mountains of Biella Alps in Piedmont, Northern Italy, surrounding the original wool mill established in 1910 and following the road that he himself traced. Since then, the founder’s vision has served to guide the brand. A visionary founder himself, around 110 years ago, he built a road stretching across 44.5 kilometres in Piedmont, to link Oasi Zegna. Named 232 road, it crosses the 100 km2 Oasi Zegna natural territory surrounding the wool mill, and subsequently been turned into a graphic abstraction and signifier of the Zegna brand identity where history is expressed in the family name of the founder.

Zegna launches its 232 brand values campaign with its muses: Isaac Hempstead Wright, Yagamoto and Marracash

This is the beginning of the invention of Oasi Zegna, an ecosystem which was born long before the word “ecosystem” was invented. With the mill at the heart of a much wider community, he made up a proper 232 road, and later on, the Oasi, through painstaking reforestation work, creating a sustainable interdependence.

Representing the founder’s green approach, Oasi Zegna was officially born in 1993, thanks to the passion of the Zegna family’s third generation. It is a cultivation driven not to exploit, but to enhance. A freely accessible natural territory that extends 100 km2 between Trivero and Valle Cervo in the Biella Alps, Oasi Zegna expands through 1,420 hectares of woods and 170 hectares of pasture, becoming the perfect place to connect with nature in full respect for local ecosystems. In 2014, Oasi Zegna obtained the patronage of Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI). Most recently, Oasi Zegna has been internationally certified by the FSC® standard for forest management and ecosystem services for the community.

More than a century later, the 232 road, which was built in the 1930s, has gained a lot more popularity, and remains an inspiration for the Maison. The 232 serves as a guidance, on top of the latest Zegna 232 brand values campaign. The campaign introduces the 232 as a family of visionaries, connected by a shared set of principles and a progressive vision for the future. The 232 brand values campaign kicks off with three different muses. They are musician Marracash, actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, and movement director Yagamoto. These visionaries, united in their courage to set new directions and lead change, challenge conventions and dare to make bold choices. They possess a positive attitude and bright confidence, and with their brilliant and creative minds, they establish a new path forward for them, and for others to follow.

For Zegna, the journey is more important than the destination. This is shown by how Zegna honours the passionate individuals who are engaged in the present, embracing an attitude that is conscious, curious and emphatic. Zegna also shares their personal stories and viewpoints to illuminate the beauty that is found when we move through life with intention and are deliberately driven by a strong sense of purpose.

Entering the new era, the 232 have been showcased in candid film moments that shine a spotlight on their dynamic personalities and sense of style. Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori has built a reimagined wardrobe envisioned for personal expression and freedom of movement, and the 232 captures this moment. Also included in the launch of the campaign is the new iconic Zegna 232 brand mark, a graphic representation of the road and a powerful symbol charting the brand’s journey forward. At the same time, Zegna comes together with a community of visionaries to honour A Path Worth Taking.