Ermenegildo Zegna's Artistic Collaborations and Archive

The Zegna wool mill in Trivero, near Biella, has a long history of collaboration with artists, most notably Ettore Pistoletto Olivero, father of Michelangelo Pistoletto. In the Sala Quadri, a series of large oil paintings depicts medieval wool processing, commissioned by founder Ermenegildo Zegna (1892-1966) and executed by Pistoletto Olivero after World War II. The artist also documented the construction of the Panoramica Zegna road. Casa Zegna, opened in 2007, houses the company archive, which includes fabric samples, documents, and photos spanning over a century. The archive inspired the 2010 Centenary Suit, based on the original Tessuto N°1. Ermenegildo Zegna pioneered branded fabrics and creative sample books. The exhibition "From Sheep to Shop" traces the supply chain from Australia, New Zealand, Inner Mongolia, and Peru to finished garments. Zegna expanded into prêt-à-porter in the late 1960s, opening its first boutique in Paris in 1980 and in Milan in 1985. Advertising campaigns featured Robert De Niro, Javier Bardem, and Adrien Brody. The group now employs about 6,500 people worldwide and has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange for a year.