Oasi Cashmere is the new Zegna autumn/winter collection showcased at Milan fashion week, and explores the transformative nature of this precious textile fibre.

Stepping into the imposing dark space at Allianz MiCo – a convention centre in the modern quarter of Milan’s CityLife district – the sound of wind blowing referenced the habitat of Oasi Zegna, a nature park in Piedmont that is home to the brand.

A snowfall of cashmere in Zegna’s signature vicuna hue filled spectators with a heart-warming sense of serenity, and created a monumental pile at the centre of the catwalk space. The same reassuring feeling is reflected in a series of utilitarian yet comfortable garments that were presented in monochromatic combinations – camel, tobacco, rust, icy white, closing with blue, navy and black.

Alessandro Sartori, the artistic director of the Italian brand, has a clear vision: rewriting the notion of uniform and formalwear through a modular and timeless wardrobe. Cashmere-knit trousers, overshirts and double-breast blazers come with loose proportions and generous volume.

Elsewhere the loden coat was reshaped into a softer structure featuring three layers of cashmere stitched together, humorously dubbed “the sandwich”. The insightful designer has reimagined men’s clothing vocabulary for years. As he stated in the show note: ‘Oasi Zegna is a veritable lab: a place in which we can tirelessly explore new fabrications, develop new forms while decoding functions and recoding lines to create an open system of elements.’

The almost compulsive desire for layering conveyed versatility and effortlessness throughout the collection’s series of thin leather boxy jackets and intarsia panno knitwear. ‘I’m building a new set of classics,’ added Sartori when joining the models on the runway after the show. ‘My work on silhouettes and juxtapositions not only allows you to match seasonal garments, these models also work very well with the most classic proposal from the Zegna universe.’