Alessandro Sartori presented his latest offering for Ermenegildo Zegna Couture XXX in Milan last night.
Alessandro Sartori has previously explained how as much as fifty per cent of the materials used at Ermenegildo Zegna become waste – something that has been hugely disturbing for him as a man who is deeply concerned with sustainability and trying produce clothing in ways that are not contributing to the damage our planet is enduring.
So the Fall 2020 collection which was presented in Milan last night, was Sartori’s way of sharing his desire to combat this with the world. The show space itself was decorated with hundreds of ribbons of material hanging from the ceiling. These ribbons (all 37km of them) were made of surplus fabric from the last six of Sartori’s collections. The installation was entitled “Art for Earth” and highlighted the immense amount of waste that could potentially be recycled during the design process.
Zegna’s #UsetheExisting hashtag highlights the vow to recycle and reuse material from previous collections. The Fall 2020 Couture collection itself was said to be made of around fifty per cent recycled fabric. Looks incorporated Sartori’s love for combining classic tailoring with sportswear – a niche that he has successfully carved out in recent years. Fabrics were experimental as was the choice of colour palette which featured warm and rich autumnal tones.
Sartori highlighted that the world is truly done with classic streetwear. Men today are looking for a more convenient wardrobe that is uniform, so Sartori’s combination of streetwear, sportswear and tailing offers this way of dressing for the modern man. There was layering and interesting use of fastenings. Fits were slim and structured and jackets were designed to be worn in a number of ways. We saw patchwork and moiré patterns disrupting the clean simple mono-coloured looks, and hints of white created an interesting highlight.
Despite the modern mood, there was a distinct feeling of the past with many designs adopting a retro feel. Perhaps a nod to the brand’s history.
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Alessandro Sartori, Artistic Director of Zegna Talks, Legacy, Sustainability and the Future