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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Casa Zegna archives facility

The website provides a representative picture of the vast and growing documentary heritage housed in Casa Zegna, Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s archives, consisting of:

  • around 1,000 folders of paper documents, including private papers of conte Ermenegildo Zegna and his sons Aldo and Angelo;

  • over 100,000 phototypes of the “world” of Zegna, from the beginnings to the present day;

  • the older part of Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna' samples collection, put together by Ermenegildo Zegna himself using registers and fabric samples from 1910 to 1960;

  • a small textiles library;

  • a collection of around 1,000 films (historical and recent);

  • technical drawings of industrial facilities and territorial projects;

  • advertising materials produced since the ‘30s (posters, window signage, plaques).

In addition to the Zegna documentation, the Archives also contain a substantial amount of material from Lanerie Agnona, a company acquired in 1999. This archive includes paper documents dating from 1953 to 2000 - 100 folders -, around 20,000 phototypes and an impressive fabric sample collection.

Casa Zegna may be used by the public for research purposes contemplated in its regulations, subject to approval of an application submitted by e-mail to archivio.fondazione@zegna.com

Fondazione Zegna Via Marconi 23 13835 Trivero (BI) Codice Fiscale 92011650022
FONDAZIONE ZEGNA - ZEGNA GROUP - COOKIE POLICY