Exploring the fields of plurality through the paths of individuality
No two individual things are perfectly alike: the specific location and confluence of conditions makes each and every one a singular being, an individual entity. Today’s show stems from such an assumption. It is being put on in an empty industrial building: a stern place, as far from the liveliness of nature as it possibly gets. Within the white walls, a sudden flourishing of linen plants has occurred, invading the floor, drawing a curtain around the makeshift runway, filtering the light, bringing life to a lifeless place. On closer inspection, however, the linen blades are not vegetal. They are in fact made of metal, varnished in a vital shade of Sentiero yellow, vibrating as if they were en plein air. The making of nature and the making of man meet, shift, and overlap in a fantasy of industrial nature and natural industrialism made real. No matter how precise the execution, however, no two things are perfectly alike: not the metal blades of the linen nor the humans walking the catwalk. That’s what this new chapter of the ZEGNA reset ultimately fosters: plurality as a sum of differences; individuality that emerges when the items being worn look apparently identical. This endeavor is about Us, in the Oasi of Linen.
Fashion is a lab in which our Artistic Director, Alessandro Sartori, tirelessly experiments with shapes and attitudes, and with the fabrics that allow it all to happen. In summer, the catalyst of the ZEGNA ethos is linen. Supple and textured, sturdy yet soft, sensual but deliciously rough, Oasi Lino is used in a variety of weaving and knitting, defining a wardrobe that is a distillation of what a well-to-do summer truly looks like, clothing-wise: light pieces with a playful ease. “Now that our reformed vocabulary has been established,” says Alessandro Sartori, “it is the moment to focus on how items are or can be used, on the singular ways they mold to individual personalities. Linen is a wonderful medium in this sense: Oasi Lino is not only traceable and true to our commitment to sustainability, but it is also as malleable and sensual as the idea of summer dressing we are prompting. There is something quintessentially Italian to this collection, in the gentry world the shapes suggest and the insouciant manner they are worn by men who play buoyantly with their own appearance.”
The silhouette is soft and easy, the body clearly felt, and even showcased with short shorts. Overcoats and jackets have enveloping volumes, while elongated blazers draw a tall line. Notchless collars characterise the knitted shirts and the tailored overshirts. The iconic “Il Conte” jacket is presented in several versions, including outerwear and leatherwear, jackets and a sleeveless style, meant as a gilet. On roomy trousers and jackets, the placement of pockets suggests a variety of body postures and gestures, allowing the wearer to own the item. Tailored T-shirts and linen knits are meant as outerwear. Mesh and printed polos worn with matching shorts add another layer of sensuality. The new loafer, “Mocassin”, is the only shoe in the show. It defines the summery Italian attitude, as do the abstract prints with a botanical Oasi feel, and the soft, capacious suede bags. The amalgamation of neutral hues – Bianco Zegna, Sentiero yellow, Sorgente blue, Sabbia, Faggio, Castoro – lit with notes of Terracotta and Ortensia, and accented with Nero Opaco, gives a chromatic dimension to textures: linen – from four plies and mélange to canvas and ultra-light weights – cotton/linen, silk, technical silk, silk dupion, cotton/silk, mohair/silk, Oasi Cashmere and light calf and nubuck SECONDSKIN for accessories.
In the Oasi of Linen, no two individuals are perfectly alike, which makes their style ineffable.
