The Zegna brand aims to create unique, immersive experiences for its top customers, and the town house that was transformed into Villa Zegna this week on New York’s Upper East Side certainly achieved that goal.
On Wednesday, the Italian luxury brand invited what Gildo Zegna, CEO and Chairman of the Zegna Group, calls “VICs” (very important clients and friends) to a recreation of the original home of his grandfather and company founder, Ermenegildo Zegna, located within Oasi Zegna, a 39-square-mile sacred estate in the Italian Alps just minutes from Zegna’s wool mill.
The three-floor exhibition follows the story of the founder’s first visit to New York. A video in the main entrance brings the experience to life. Then, peruse a selection of the brand’s fall collection by Art Director Alessandro Sartori. Take the elevator to a moss-covered reception room, converted into Ermenegildo Zegna’s office, where a description of Oasi Zegna is written on the wall. You’ll then be escorted to a spacious dining room, decorated with a portrait of the founder and a map of Oasi Zegna on the ceiling. For the next five days, VIC guests can enjoy dinner prepared by Santo Ambroeus. The menu was inspired by the founder’s 1938 visit to New York to celebrate professional Italian tailors in America and introduce luxury fabrics to the world.
The third floor features a private lounge by reservation where selected customers can purchase exclusive products not available through the company’s regular retail network. They can also order a personalized version of the “Il Conte” jacket, which means “count” in Italian and pays tribute to the company’s founder, who was awarded the title of Count of Monte Rubello for his achievements as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and businessman. The jacket is made from 100% traceable cashmere and is available in five colors. Other products, such as an alligator jacket, have been created specifically for the experience.
While this may be the most elaborate installation, the journey began last April at Milan Salone del Mobile with the launch of “Born in Oasi Zegna,” a book that tells the story of Ermenegildo Zegna’s vision: in the 1930s, he planted more than 500,000 trees and built a road connecting both sides of the mountain on which Oasi Zegna now stands.
The Villa Zegna installation first debuted in Shanghai in May, with the concept then centered around linen, Gildo Zegna said. “This is the main attraction,” he said of the New York version.
Zenia said he was 11 when his grandfather died at age 74 from Alzheimer’s. He vividly remembers his grandfather’s villa, recreated in a townhouse on the Upper East Side, and remembers reading the newspaper to him and asking him exactly what he read. He fondly recalls how stylish his grandfather was, always wearing high-collared shirts “like Tom Ford” and shirts with his initials on them. “He had a very, very strong personality,” he said.
He added that the exhibit is not only meant to pay tribute to the founder, but also to bring customers closer to the company and show “what it can do in terms of innovation.” It’s also evidence of how important the U.S. is to the group and “the future we have here as a public company.” “If I were a customer, I’d be impressed,” he added.
In March, Zegna revealed it would open a lounge on the top floor of its flagship store, Salotto Zegna, on 57th Street. The lounge will be connected to the bespoke department and offer an ultra-luxury experience to its top clients. The space will be designed by two of Milan’s leading architectural firms and will feature exclusive collections with “the finest service,” Zegna said, adding that the concept could be rolled out to other cities in the future.
New York is a testing ground, where customers will be given “access to not only the best, but unique pieces. It’s a new way of doing business at an ultra-high level with exclusive products and services. And I think more and more around the world, customers want privacy. They don’t want to interact with a lot of people in a store. They want personal attention. So I think Salotto Zegna will be the right environment to give them that attention in an exclusive way.”
He continued: “New York is the global capital where the dream began and this is a new beginning to position the brand as exclusive and ultra-luxury. Our goal is no longer quality, but to create superior products, unique services with a customer-centric culture. Whether in China or the US, travel retail or resorts, this is what the customer should get. And if the customer is satisfied, the numbers will follow.”