Time to tell the story: Zegna goes big at Milan Design Week 

WE ARE in a room covered wall-to-wall with heavily bound volumes holding records of fabrics and accompanying swatches from 1859 to the present day, as well as boxes containing little notebooks detailing the “recipes” for fabrics – all taken down in neat, almost print-like handwriting.

The room is the heart of Casa Zegna, a 1930s building in Trivero Valdilana, in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, that was once the family home of Ermenegildo Zegna, founder of the eponymous label. Located next to the Zegna wool mill, Casa Zegna is today a historical archive and cultural centre that tracks the story of the famous Italian luxury menswear brand born in 1910.

Those familiar with the brand already know Zegna for its understated luxury before quiet luxury became a thing. What many do not know, however, is that its roots in sustainability are also deep. They started some 100 years ago – long before environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues became a thing.