The new Zegna Couture collection for spring/summer 2019 arrives in stores this month. Launched in Milan at a show entitled “Weightlessness”, it displays Zegna’s signature quality and design innovation. Here, the firm’s creative director Alessandro Sartori gives Brummell an insight into the thinking behind his latest creations

If there’s one thing I inherently want to include in our collections – the thing I enjoy creating – it’s the piece that another man wants, needs and likes. I want to update what people understand as being included under the term ‘tailoring’, in order to create a new wardrobe for menswear, where the foundation continues to be the quality of the couture. Building on that, I can offer a solution to everyday problems by introducing an innovative viewpoint and technical fabrics.

A running theme within our SS19 collection is the concept of incorporating tailoring with new materials. Rather than presenting a full tailored suit, we pair a bomber jacket with a suit trouser. There is an innate juxtaposition between this tailoring foundation and our technical fabrics, which allows us to enhance a man’s wardrobe. Technical mesh, silk mesh, and even leather mesh are elements that have been made by hand and contradict, but also enhance, the traditional tailoring.

The way forward in design is to think about what I want to wear today. What is missing today, what could other men be looking for today? Every piece in this collection, every decision that has been made, has a function behind it. The fabrics we’ve incorporated have allowed us to create perforated, breathable garments that are ultra light. You get the volume without the weight. Another detail we’ve introduced is that almost all of the trousers in this collection don’t have an outside stitch, just one on the inside. The technique of having two pleats in the trousers creates a better silhouette and allows for a sleek, sophisticated style.

Elevating men’s wardrobes, to me, is not solely about creating something that looks different, but solving those problems: crease-resistant clothing with lightweight comfort. In my eyes, these aren’t just buzzwords but they carry real meaning in portraying to the consumer the type of garments I want to design.

zegna.co.uk