The project
The Zegna Archives form the structure designed to conserve historical and product documentation from the over one hundred years of Ermenegildo Zegna Group, global leader in luxury menswear.
The idea was conceived in 2003, when Fondazione Zegna decided to set up a company archive, and led to the inauguration in 2007 of the prestigious Casa Zegna complex within the grounds of the Wool Mill - Biella.
The Zegna Archives website was launched in 2013 to enable the Group to share with the public one of the most interesting industrial case histories in the annals of “Made in Italy”.
The website
The Archives website traces the Group’s history by assembling carefully selected data from the historical archives in Trivero. This enables visitors to understand the main lines of development of the Zegna “world”, which are presented in a tree structure menu covering four closely linked thematic areas.
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Family Business
This “branch” shows how the companies in Zegna Group have evolved, from the wool mill - Lanificio - founded in 1910 to the current organization, which is global but maintains its family business status: Ermenegildo Zegna Group controls the entire chain of business from purchasing of raw materials from their places of origin to distribution of finished products in over 560 mono-brand stores worldwide.
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Products and avertising
This section traces the history of Zegna products and relative communication strategies, from fabrics to tailoring, from accessories to the total look, from the advertising of the’20s to e-commerce, from quality fabrics to diversification into prêt-à-porter and the “Made to Measure”. service.
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Environment and the Mountains
This section deals with the relationship between Zegna and Biella’s mountain territory and the environment in general, which is based on the “green thought” of Ermenegildo Zegna and the development and conservation he promoted. From reclamation projects to the construction of the “Panoramica Zegna” road in the ’30s and tourist facilities in the early ‘60s down to the creation of the Oasi Zegna in 1993, the Group’s most significant undertaking in terms of territorial conservation and promotion.
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Philanthropy and Culture
This section outlines Zegna's “philosophy” in the fields of philanthropy and culture, from Ermenegildo Zegna’s “social welfare works” in the ’20s to the creation of “Fondazione Zegna” in 2000, an international organization active on the humanitarian, medical, environmental and cultural fronts.