The menswear firm founded and built by Ermenegildo Zegna is steeped in Italian family values and modern ideas.Photographs by Alessandro Albert / GraziaNeri for TIME
Built for Show
The $1.75 billion Zegna group is almost exclusively devoted to menswear. The company prefers to sell through its own stores, like the flagship outlet in Milan, above, rather than through department stores.Ermenegildo Zegna
Prodigious
The mill at Trivero turns out two million meters of fabric a year.
World Class
Zegna can make a legitimate claim to being the world's leader in menswear. "We are a very masculine brand," says Guido, "and we are focused on what we do."Catwalking / Getty
Granddaughter
Founded in 1910, the company is run largely by the Ermenegildo's descendants. Anna Zegna, above, is the firm's director of image and store development. Her brother, Gildo Zegna, is its chief executive.
Steeped in History
The firm pays extraordinary attention to preserving the past. In the photograph above, a mill worker examples yarn samples at the company's warehouse in Trevero.
Archive
Fabric samples hang at the Casa Zegna, a cultural center and historical resource housed in the old family villa.
Color Palette
A worker designs fabric at the company's offices in Trevero. The company maintains a significant presence in the town where it was founded.
Line Up
Vials of dye stand on a shelf at the mill.
High Tech
The firm's love of hand craftsmanship is matched by its passion for state of the art equipment. These dying vats are used to color the fabric after it is woven.
