Ermenegildo Zegna has long been one of the prestigious fashion houses of Italy. Found way back in 1910, the Zegna family still remains the owners of this fashion empire. More specifically, it is now the 4th generation of the family that is currently in control of the operations. Ermenegildo Zegna has gone quite far from its humble beginnings, today it is revered as one of the world leaders in men's clothing. Aside from creating premier suits for their very own label, it is also contracted to develop suits for large fashion labels, such as Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gucci.
It was in Biellese Prealps where Ermenegildo Zegna founded his company and started specializing in wool suits. It did not take long for Zegna to build a reputable image from the fine quality that his wool suits offered. Before the 1930s saw its end, Zegna already had a thousand workers in his employ. In 1938, Zegna made his first sale ever in America. However, exports at the time were quite difficult because of the high prices that came with war. In 1942, Ermenegildo's two sons, Aldo and Angelo, joined the family business which was renamed to Ermenegildo Zegna and Sons. Pretty soon, the business started manufacturing ready-made suits as well. 1966 saw the unfortunate death of Ermenegildo Zegna, but this did not stop the sons from continuing the business. Factories opened in Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Mexico, and Turkey. Not all of these factories are still functioning at present, however.
But the first ever boutique opened by the successors was in Paris. This was in the year 1980, and in the year 1985, a second boutique was opened in Milan. This started the opening of more and more branches, as well as franchise agreements being made. To this day, there are more than 140 shops controlled by the family itself. Roughly 150 franchise agreements have also been created all over the world.
From wool suits of premier quality, Ermenegildo Zegna has expanded into neckties, shirts, knitwear, sportswear, leather goods, and even accessories. The company has even released their very own fraggence known as ESSENZIA DI Zegna. This separation was welcomed with open arms by people all over the world as well.
