La Dolce Vita

WHEN TWO LEADING HOUSES of Italian style and manufacturing come together, the collaborative result is pure luxury.

Fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna and automaker Maserati signed an agreement for a long-term partnership in 2013, and have since worked together to create products that are the very essence of la dolce vita.

The first stage of their partnership produced the Maserati Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition, where 100 luxury sedans customised with Zegna-designed colours and material marked Maserati's 2014 centennial anniversary. The silk for the car's upholstery is produced with a thickness of 10 microns at the legendary Lanificio Zegna wool mill. As a result, the seats, door panels and other parts of the car interiors feel as good as they look, offering exquisite comfort to the driver and passengers.

The limited-edition sedans also came with an Owner's Collection, a unique set of accessories manufactured from the finest raw materials such as grained calf leather and Zegna's unique silk. Their designs echoed the visual and material aesthetics of the car. A sample of these accessories were then included in the Spring/Summer 2014 Capsule Collection which, together with new footwear and outerwear products inspired by the collaboration, were made available in Zegna boutiques worldwide.

Four international events in Shanghai (July 2014), New York (September 2014), Dubai (March 2015) and Milan (July 2015) celebrated the partnership, as more initiatives were rolled out for top customers of the two brands. At each event, celebrity lensman Fabrizio Ferri photographed the hands of renowned figures, such as musicians, chefs, athletes and artisans, who use their hands as the primary tool for their trade. Each image of a pair of hands is juxtaposed with a detail of the Quattroporte. One hundred of these photos were then selected for Ferri's coffee-table book titled One Of 100.

The partnership between Zegna and Maserati continued in 2015 when Maserati unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show a new Zegna trim package for all its Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante car models. The package comprised a set of cosmetic embellishments that were created by Zegna's master craftsmen such as a pure silk fabric for the cockpit and seats that enhanced Maserati's tailor-made exclusivity.

Fresh on the heels of this, Zegna and Maserati released a Spring Summer 2016 Capsule Collection of apparel and accessories inspired by the details of Maserati's upholstery. This included the dual-colour, dual-material composition of the leather as well as Zegna's unique silk. The Capsule Collection featured outerwear in leather and silk, special-edition sneakers, luxurious scarves and leather goods, and foldable sunglasses. The designs were typically emblazoned with Maserati's trident logo.

In October 2016, Zegna and Maserati released the Spring Summer 2017 Capsule Collection, again featuring luxury clothing, fine leather goods and exquisitely designed accessories that carried a dedicated "Ermenegildo Zegna Exclusively For Maserati" label. The items included polo shirts, a quilted sleeveless nubuck leather jacket, a special-edition trolley, backpacks and triple-stitch sneakers. As with the previous Capsule Collections, it proved a hit with both Zegna and Maserati customers.

The multi-year collaboration between the two luxury house carried through to 2017: at the Geneva International Motor Show, Maserati premiered a special Levante model with a cockpit upholstered by a new 100-per cent silk fabric specially designed and developed by the Lanificio Zegna wool mill. The beige-coloured silk boasted a soft-touch effect that reinforced the look and feel of luxury. This was echoed by the full premium beige leather of the car seats and complemented by the black leather covering for the upper part of the dashboard.

Not only is this package available this year, Maserati and Zegna is also set to unveil its latest Spring Summer Capsule Collection at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September 2018.

As the Maserati x Zegna partnership crosses its fifth-year mark, it continues to redefine the Italian vision of luxury, cementing both brands' positions as powerhouses of style and sophistication.