Into the woods

WHAT do risotto, woodland spirits and floral fabrics have in common with a swish menswear brand? Well, very little, unless it's a multi-sensory event tailored by Zegnart, a visual arts platform by the Ermenegildo Zegna Group.

Despite a protest earlier in the day by 20,000 opponents of the Milan Expo 2015, with students taking to the streets of the fashion capital decrying the event as a waste of public funds, the luxury menswear brand staged an art and food happening to mark the opening of the world fair on May 1.

Dubbed Fabulae Naturae, the event hinged upon artworks inspired by 2,200 folders of fabric swatches from the 1920s to the 1980s created by Swiss textile manufacturer Herberlein, which was acquired by Zegna in 2011. The oversized floral prints, in particular, were appropriated into larger-than-life decals that formed murals that sheathed the walls of the brand's headquarters on Via Savona.