Zegna presented its SS26 collection in Dubai yesterday, and it was beautiful. The whole show was an homage to the person wearing the clothes: “As designers, we do half of the work, the rest happens when clients interpret pieces day by day,” said Zegna creative director Alessandro Sartori. He mentioned that he was inspired by a chair with a pile of clothes, saying the “casualness suggests a life lived intensely”.
The cast lineup truly embodied the Zegna man and his aspirational lifestyle – as the looks were influenced by the relationship between the wearer and what they choose to wear. The models looked casually well-dressed, just like they live in those pieces.
Breezy linens and ultra-lightweight silks (a suit only weighed only 300 grams) merged with futuristic washable leathers and fabrics created by a blend of linen and recyclable paper cellulose. Pieces underwent intense washing and crinkling, molding into the body and having the effect of sunfaded colours on the fabrics. The collection brought innovation to classic fashion by staying true to Zegna’s history of fabric making, but also experimenting with materials.
“I think between classic menswear and the most avant garde, there is a huge space that has barely been explored,” Sartori said in a conference before the show, and SS26 did just that. Dubai is a huge fashion hub: it oozes of opulence, and so did the collection – mirroring the city’s extravagant wealth and its refined taste with old money aesthetics and sunfaded, rich colour palettes. Sartori made a lifestyle out of his collection – finding the perfect balance between avant garde and nonchalant.
Featured images Zegna©
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