Straight out of the '80s, the Ray-Ban Wings sunglasses were favoured by pilots due to the look and quality. The brand has since brought back the style in a number of iterations, with this latest one being a combination of the original and the Wings II. It maintains the squarish frame of the latter with an elongated taper that extends slightly towards the sides for more coverage. The brow bar remains a key fixture, making the style ever-enduring.
Pharrell Williams has a penchant for softness in Louis Vuitton’s bags. His Soul Trunk East West bag is a new supple take on the Maison’s trunk-making heritage; featuring reinforced corners and a duo of straps for maximum versatility of wear. The main compartment is secured with a zipper but there’s also a magnetic closure (fashioned to look like a trunk’s clasp) for quick reach into the interior while keeping the bag closed.
The sleek appearance of the second-generation EVOA Z is a Trojan horse for the top-tier functionality that the Samsonite luggage is known for. Some of the nifty design elements: a small but mighty hanging hook is integrated right below the pull handles to hang light items, zipper pullers are fixed with magnets so that they bind together to prevent theft, and the wheels glide with maximum smoothness and manoeuvrability.
The signature embroidered Pony logo of Polo Ralph Lauren makes for a subtle statement. It calls to mind the preppy aesthetic steeped in the brand’s history. Created using precisely 982 individual stitches, the logo sits front and centre on this BetterCotton twill cap. We don’t have to tell you just how indispensable a good cap is but just know that with this particular piece, the pairings are almost limitless.
Listen, we get that the Dyson Zone headphones (you know, the one with the air purifier attachment) seemed like a joke. And to be fair, perhaps Dyson knew that too. The brand’s latest audio device removes the extraneous feature and focuses solely on the audio quality and ANC. What we got: the Dyson OnTrac that's customisable wth a range of colours for its caps and cushions.
The Reverso is a revolutionary icon that stood the test of time. This latest iteration is a throwback to earlier models including a classic chemin de fer, applied hour markers and dauphine hands. Both sides of the timepiece feature a sunray dial—one lacquered in blue and the other in silver—for a classically elegant look whichever way you choose to turn to.
The Zegna Triple Stitch is a definite winner in our books. Already traipsing the line between casual and dressy, the brand takes it up a notch with an iteration that is tailored for more outdoor pursuits. The Triple Stitch Monte (Italian for “mount”) is fitted with Vibram soles for increased traction, all the while retaining the look and silhouette of the original.
For better or worse, the Dior Sauvage has quite the reputation—you either love it or don’t quite fancy it. The Dior Sauvage Eau Forte however, would easily satisfy both camps. The essence of Sauvage is still present but reimagined in an alcohol-free formula that’s light and fresh while having the intensity of a parfum. In other words, you probably won’t be assaulting anyone’s nose with this.
The distinctive Bone ring, a reincarnation of Elsa Peretti’s iconic 1970 Bone cuff design, has to be experienced first-hand to be appreciated. Its sinewy contours make for a subtle statement, but it is also sculpted to conform to one’s finger or knuckle. There is no restriction of motion despite its size and fits comfortably like second skin.
Everyone needs a throw-all duffel in their arsenal. This collaboration piece between Montblanc and football legend Zinédine Zidane runs high on the list of the perfect duffels. For starters, it’s incredibly roomy yet lightweight at the same time. The inside is thoughtfully designed with organisation compartments and loops, and of course, the exterior is as handsome as they come with Montblanc’s subtle Extreme 3.0 motif.
Photography: Jaya Khidir
Styling: Asri Jasman
Photography Assistants: Aliy Alam and Nowo Kasturi
The Zegna Spring/Summer 2025 runway show wasn't an easy one to get to. It's about a half-an-hour drive from the centre of Milan to the industrial space and from the outside, it looked like a blank white canvas. The inside however, Zegna had it converted into a field of linen plants concentrated towards the centre. This became the runway where the models eventually stood along neat emptied out space in the midst of the field.
The linen plants, however, weren't exactly what they appeared to be. Global brand ambassador Leo Wu proved this as I witnessed him cheekily playing with one before plucking it out from its spot. It was a metal rod, varnished into a specific of shade of yellow and gave it quite a naturalistic look. Aside from the Spring/Summer 2025 collection being centred around the brand's traceable Oasi Lino—a concept that's set to continue on every Spring/Summer season—it was also about this idea of how nothing is ever really what it seems. No two things are exactly same for artistic director Alessandro Sartori, even when they looked similar on the runway.
"It is the moment to focus on how items are or can be used, on the singular ways they mould to individual personalities," Sartori says, referencing how it's the right time to expand on the aesthetic that's been crafted and established since Autumn/Winter 2021. It's evident from the fact that the models engaged for the show were as diverse as they come in terms of age, race, and even gender. And while there were some commonalities among some looks in terms of colours or even print, each look was different, brought out even more by the attitude of the model wearing them.
The fit: It's the Zegna that we've all come to adore by Sartori. The tailoring was impeccable with the kind of flow and languid silhouettes that's favoured, but at the same time, cut at the right spots such that none of the models appeared to drown while wearing an oversized polo or a drop-shoulder blazer.
Necklines were reduced further that at times, they didn't require any sort of fastening. It's a subtle tweak but emphasised this hybridisation of formal and relaxed that's become a fundamental Zegna trait. They looked at home worn under the collection's more traditional suiting to create an almost perfectly layered collar effect.
The details: The brand is through and through a ready-to-wear-first brand. At the same time, its Triple Stitch footwear has become such an icon that it may be time to expand that universe a tad further. The runway saw only one footwear adorning the feet of all the models: a new loafer referred to as Mocassin. It's designed with a slightly rounded toe and crafted long and narrow to elongate. True to form, the Mocassin was also minimally designed but again, traipsed that line between formal and relaxed.
Similarly, the brand's bags haven't been much of a focus as a whole, but the capriciousness of the collection's bags definitely drew my attention. For starters, some models (including runway closer, Mads Mikkelsen) carried a different large one on each hand. These were probably some of the biggest bags that Zegna has done in a while and definitely made to be lived in—for just about everything and anything.
Three exceptional looks: The sumptuous and unexpected pairing of deep colours in look 7; the striking printed look 24 that's essentially a shortened pyjama suit; and look 33's stunning tonal combination of yellows with trousers cut to make one look taller.
The takeaway: A truly studied approach to approaching wearable luxury fashion in the contemporary sense.
View the full Zegna Spring/Summer 2025 collection in the gallery below.
Milan Fashion Week Men's will officially draw to a close with Zegna and its Spring/Summer 2025 runway show. As per a couple of seasons now, the Italian brand will be staging an Oasi Lino-centric collection, making use of its traceable linen as the centrepiece.
If the Autumn/Winter 2024 runway show back in January is anything to go by, Zegna could potentially be using linen or flax as part of the set design and creating quite a spectacle in the process. The show is scheduled to take place in an event space away from the city centre, instead of out in the open as with the Spring/Summer 2024 show.
For confirmation of what the Zegna Spring/Summer 2025 collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Monday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Milan Fashion Week Men's.
What: Zegna Spring/Summer 2025 runway show
Where: Milan, Italy
When: Monday, 17 June 2024 at 10pm Singapore time
Nothing feels quite as satisfying as purchasing a piece of garment that fits like a glove. It’s a stroke of luck unless your body is conventionally shaped and match the standard dimensions of pattern blocks used by ready-to-wear manufacturers. Even then, these standards can differ between brands, and finding the right fit—for those who care about the subtleties of a well-fitting ensemble—can be challenging.
Ready-to-wear makes up a significant chunk of the clothing market, ranging from fast fashion to luxury assortments offered by major brands. While the designs and the levels of craftsmanship (if any) vary, the ease and relative speed of producing ready-to-wear make it the default choice for the everyman.
The idea of ready-to-wear fashion isn’t new, and its proliferation and mainstream access had arrived by the 20th century. Driven by the Industrial Revolution, ready-to-wear gained traction with the accelerated speed of producing yarns, as well as the invention of pattern-cutting and sewing machinery. Technology would continue to advance, capable of producing new yarns and blends of fabric at quantities commanded by economies of scale. This is why we’re able to rock up to a store, pick a shirt, try it on in the fitting room, and pay for it at the cashier, all in less than 30 minutes, or cart out a piece of garment in a matter of minutes online.
“It was a time of big fashion corporations, globalisation and an impersonal approach to design,” says Giorgio Armani. “I believe it is important to remember where fashion design started—with the desire to make beautiful clothes for people to wear.” With this intention, the Italian maestro decided to embark on a made-to-measure service in 2006 that is rooted in his design language of ease and comfort.
Fluid shapes and relaxed tailoring are Giorgio Armani signatures and its made-to-measure service simplifies the offering into two categories. The “Soho” is more suited to those looking for contemporary and sophisticated silhouettes, while the “Wall Street” range offers classic and traditional silhouettes. Both feature designs from the Giorgio Armani ready-to-wear collections too for daywear and eveningwear.
The new Ngee Ann City boutique is one of a select number of Giorgio Armani shops around the world offering the made-to-measure service. Clients need only turn up for an initial consultation, where a trained staff will take their measurements needed and go through the customisations that can be done—from fabric choice to type of lapel, down to the lining and buttons.
The process is fairly streamlined:, and clients are given an option for a second fitting before the made-to-measure piece is finished. The final garment can either be picked up at the boutique or delivered to the client. And after that first piece has been made, the client’s measurements and unique pattern will be stored in the Giorgio Armani database—no further measurements are needed for subsequent orders, unless the clients’ figure change over time.
While more known for its slate of beautiful patinated leather shoes, Berluti too offers a tailoring service. And just like its bespoke shoe service, its Grand Mesure suits are technically bespoke—a piece cut exactly to the measurement of one’s body with personalisation options that are almost limitless. The brand partners up with Parisian bespoke tailor Arnys (acquired by parent company LVMH in 2012 and folded into Berluti) for its Grand Mesure tailoring.
More than just the garment itself, bespoke services often relates to the client’s lifestyle—how he lives, what he does, where he sees himself wearing the piece, etc. Because having almost a limitless range of options to choose from can be daunting, the tailor is able to guide and advise on fabric choices (over 3,000 in total) and even the tiniest details. If not, a Grand Mesure collection provides initial inspirations on pieces to work with, such as a safari jacket, denim jeans and the emblematic Berluti Forestière jacket.
Three weeks after the initial consultation, the first fitting is scheduled. If it’s a suit that’s being crafted, the unfinished jacket will be presented to determine if the fit is perfect. A completed pair of trousers is presented at this fitting. A month later, a complete bespoke suit will be presented during a second fitting where adjustments to length, width and overall fit can be made promptly. And just like that, about two months after the first consultation, a Berluti Grand Mesure suit is made to one’s unique dimensions.
But of course, made-to-measure and bespoke services aren’t restricted to traditionally tailored garments.
Prada’s made-to-measure service extends to leather outerwear as well as knitwear. For the former, clients are able to choose between six outerwear styles: blazer, caban, coat, bomber, biker and overcoat. A selection of three types of leathers are used with a high level of customisation options. But because leather is a more precious material to work with, the artisan will only start cutting the chosen leather once a canvas toile is tried and fitted on the client with no further changes.
The range is wider for Prada’s made-to-order knitwear. Ten classic Prada knits can be customised using two lightweight gauge knits—superfine wool f.30 and superfine cashmere f.18. Colours can be taken from Prada’s extensive runway archives to create a knit that’s Prada in every way but still unique to one’s whims.
Drawing on the execution of a modern tailoring wardrobe, Zegna’s made-to-measure service consists of more traditional tailoring to the brand’s more relaxed proposals. Refined materials such as Zegna’s 100 per cent traceable Oasi Cashmere come in elegant monochromatic shades with knit tailoring exemplifying the contemporary aesthetic that is signature to the brand. Key outerwear styles such as the overshirt and chore jacket too are part of the mix, done in a choice of fine fabrics that traipse the line of performance and style seamlessly.
The idea of made-to-measure for brands largely involved in ready-to-wear but with an appreciation for traditional tailoring and craft, is to offer a level of service that’s one of the backbones of luxury. Anybody can go to a boutique and buy something off the rack, but not everyone can get the same piece tailored specifically for them.
“I realised that I have clients who really do want a unique product, made specifically for them. Hence, I decided to create a made-to-measure service, where a customer gets all the benefits of a tailor-made garment—unique fit, fabric, lining, buttons, details—as well as the signature Giorgio Armani look,” says Armani.
It’s also about appreciating the time and artistry behind the craft. With made-to-measure, it’s a given that a big portion of creating the garment is done by hand by skilled artisans. And to know that you’ve had a hand in designing your very own Prada knitwear or Zegna jacket? What could be more luxurious than that?
Materiality is something that Zegna is exceptionally familiar with, having established itself as a fabric producer long before dressing discerning men around the world. It has been well over 110 years since the very foundations of Zegna were laid and the brand continues to innovate—both in its use of materials crafted with luxurious handfeel as well as its level of craftsmanship.
The Zegna Triple Stitch is the marriage of those two facets of innovations. This is a shoe that's relatively minimal in its aesthetic. Especially when compared to the other footwear designs out there in the luxury fashion space. An existing style reworked by artistic director Alessandro Sartori in 2019, the shoes remained a staple of Zegna's wardrobe since. Sartori's directional idea of menswear, specifically tailoring, as existing in the realm of both casual and formal is extended to the Triple Stitch. It's not exactly a sneaker nor is it a formal shoe—it's neither and somewhat both at the same time.
Like every stellar silhouette, the Triple Stitch has gone through a number of variations and technical improvements since its introduction. Its signature trio of elastic crosses right at the shoe's tongue, however, have stayed unchanged albeit rendered in different colours.
The Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN is the latest and perhaps the most technical interpretation by Zegna. As its name suggests, this update feels incredibly soft and supple—like second skin. And it's not as though the Triple Stitch wasn't already a comfortable pair of shoes to begin with. For the SECONDSKIN variation, it takes it up a few notches. This time by heightening the luxurious feel of the shoe.
The inspiration for the Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN came from tapping on the durability and exceptional lightness of leather typically reserved for gloves. But to fully incorporate the best characteristics of glove leather, the Triple Stitch had to first be deconstructed. The airy, lightweight appeal of the glove leather has been put into focus with a newly designed toe counter as well as a Strobel construction. The latter is typically seen in athletic sneakers and is further improved in the Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN with fine lining.
The result is undoubtedly, the softest and lightest Triple Stitch yet. The glove leather-tanning technique imbues the shoe with a texture that offers a form-retaining feel. At the same time, it enhances the natural strength and durability of the leather. They’re attributes that one would normally associate with technical footwear. But here, just like Sartori’s menswear, they craft a new creation that looks and feel like it’s of two worlds.
Save for the spotlights on a hill of cashmere fibres positioned in the middle of the Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 showspace and for a moment, the A-list front row—as one should when it’s a gathering of Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Fassbender, Lucas Bravo and more in one long front row—everything else was dark.
The cashmere hill (in Zegna’s signature vicuña colour) felt like a divine altar, amplified by a soundscape of whirling winds. As soon as the show began to the tunes composed by James Blake, even more fibres seemingly dropped from the sky. The Oasi Cashmere fibres—the brand’s fully traceable cashmere—were the centrepiece of the collection. For artistic director Alessandro Sartori, it was a form of servitude both to the luxurious material as well as to the luxury fashion community at large—a facet of sustainability that was promised and eventually achieved.
The fit: The framework that had been set hasn’t deviated. Sartori’s consistent intent in crafting a timeless wardrobe of nouveau tailoring presented itself in brilliant hues that once again exemplified how well he understands the effect of colour in a collection. The blacks in the Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 collection weren’t just blacks that faded into the background of the space, they fell somewhere in between black and a deep grey with tonal differences, if any, highly unnoticeable. The same went for the whites that ran along the spectrum and transitioned gradually into an egg wash hue.
Layering was the key intent as a form of individual expression. And even at a glance, it was strikingly apparent that every single piece could very well be stripped and from their individual looks and remixed in different permutations.
There’s a sense of lightness evident even with the most layered of looks—I counted four visible layers on one. The outerwear were light enough such that they moved with relative ease as the models walked by, even when they were decked out with multiple oversized pockets. Equally plush-looking yet breezy were the trousers that were cut wide as always and designed with a single fixed pleat on each side.
The details: The stars had to be the knit tops for Zegna’s Autumn/Winter 2024 collection. They ranged from super sleek drop-shouldered turtlenecks to iterations with flocked designs. One particular detail stood out, especially during the post-show inspections. Look 20’s version of the same opening knit had trompe l’œil ribbing that appeared as though they were burned into the material but were in fact an effect resulted from combining a different-coloured fibre as well as tight knitting of the ends together for a more robust hem foundation. The same effect was also applied onto the trousers paired with each corresponding top.
And if you’re looking for gloves to add to your winter wardrobe, look no further than the ones offered by the collection. Crafted longer than typical gloves, they pooled stylishly for that always desirable element of sprezzatura.
Three exceptional looks: Look 5's simply sublime monochromatic combination with beautifully constructed lines; a bit of blush melange suiting with pockets deep enough that you wouldn't even need a bag; and look 45's multi-layered approach that's an excellent example of genius layering.
The takeaway: Quiet consistency with injections of newness is the way to go. Because why invest in a piece from a new collection if it’s unable to seamlessly integrate as part of a complete wardrobe from others by the same brand?
View the full Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery below.
Closing Milan Fashion Week Men's for the Autumn/Winter 2024 season is none other than Zegna. The last show by a major fashion brand in the schedule, artistic director Alessandro Sartori is set to focus the attention on the brand's Oasi Cashmere—the traceable cashmere line that the brand has worked on for about a couple of years now.
What that entails would probably be an Oasi Cashmere-centric collection but in ways that cashmere probably isn't traditionally designed for. Sartori may perhaps take some learnings from his collaboration with The Elder Statesman where colours were bright and punchy while still looking and feeling extremely luxurious.
The Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 show will be held at Milan's Allianz MiCo, the largest convention centre in Europe. And that only means that the show would most likely be big in scale too. We've seen the line-up of celebrities slated to sit in for the show, and Zegna is certainly closing Milan Fashion Week Men's with a bang. Like the teasers state: "This will be worth the wait."
For any confirmation, stay tuned for the show this Monday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Milan Fashion Week Men's.
What: Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 runway show
Where: Milan, Italy
When: Monday, 15 January at 10pm Singapore time
Alessandro Sartori is a fan of the Formula One races. He must be—he’s been travelling here for the Singapore Grand Prix since 2018, taking in the race from the top of The Fullerton Hotel while Zegna holds a by-invite-only trunk show and party during race weekend. It has become a sort of Zegna tradition with friends of the brand flown in from around the region to revel in the atmosphere annually. You would see mannequins dressed in Zegna and racks of clothes positioned around the suite but no one is pushing for a sale—at least not on the evening of the finals.
I don’t think Sartori cares much for it too.
It’s not that the artistic director of Zegna isn’t particularly interested in heading a profitable business; he knows that his directional menswear designs sell. And they do. Zegna Group’s preliminary first-half revenues for 2023 reached more than EUR900 million, of which Zegna-branded products (Sartori-designed pieces as well as licensed products) account for EUR541 million, a 27.3 per cent increase from the year before.
Everything that Sartori has been doing point to the year-end financials looking to be just as promising.
The recent trunk show in Singapore was a celebration of Zegna’s traceable Oasi Cashmere collection and its debut collaboration with Los Angeles-based brand The Elder Statesman. “It was very organic. We didn’t think to collaborate. [laughs] I met Greg (Chait of The Elder Statesman) through common friends. I was in love with his collection because I love the homemade-handmade aesthetic. He was actually doing things with a very grandmother quality, you know?” Sartori tells me.
Zegna’s expertise in cashmere led Chait—who was in Italy to source for the material—to Sartori at the recommendation of a mutual friend. A one-and-a-half-hour coffee meeting later, Sartori invited Chait to visit the brand’s headquarters Oasi Zegna, while he was invited to visit The Elder Statesman atelier in Los Angeles. They realised that they both share the same values and decided to talk about collaborating a year after.
The Zegna x The Elder Statesman collection is not one you would expect from Zegna. It’s a burst of colours in contrast to Zegna under Sartori where the use of colours is more keenly calculated and monochromatic in nature. It’s also more tactile in the kind of “grandmother quality” that The Elder Statesman is known for. But what’s truly Zegna is in the level of craftsmanship, the luxury leisurewear aesthetic, and of course, the use of Oasi Cashmere throughout the collection.
Sartori says that the goal was to be very precise in what would end up on the final line-up. “If we thought that the garment was not good for The Elder Statesman or for Zegna, we edited. And we edited beautiful pieces but the aesthetic was too much of this or that, or too strange,” he explains.
The result was a collection with each look striking a balance between Italian savoir-faire and luxury coupled with a laid-back Californian vibe.
The fact that this is only the third big-name collaboration that Zegna has produced makes it an industry outlier. While fashion brands big and small continue to seemingly churn out buzzy collaborations at least once a season, Zegna released its first collaboration—a phenomenal one at that with Fear of God—only in 2020. One might say the brand was simply late to the game, but Sartori never felt the need to keep up.
“I was very surprised Zegna collaborated with Fear of God, because it was the first-ever and I always felt like the brand didn’t need to go that route,” I tell Sartori.
“You like it?”
“I loved it. I tried to buy a piece but it was sold out everywhere.”
According to Sartori, he still receives requests to produce more of that landmark collaboration. When asked if the success of his first collaboration created pressure for him to do more, Sartori was quick to dismiss it. “I could have done plenty but I don’t want to. I want to do what we feel is right for the brand, something that has meaning and connection to the work we do,” he says. “We don’t do collaborations to make money. Of course, we need them to sell because if you don’t, that means you don’t deliver. But they’re made with the purpose of connecting different communities.”
With Zegna x The Elder Statesman, the idea of bridging different communities not only refers to the two different customers of both brands, but also to amplify the possibilities of creation using Zegna’s excellent quality and traceable cashmere. Oasi Cashmere is one of two material sustainability efforts that Zegna is investing heavily on currently—the other is Oasi Lino, traceable linen for the warmer months. The beauty of directly owning a number of Italian fabric mills allows Zegna to control the production of textiles right from the source, including the origins of the raw material itself. “I say this quite often lately, ‘One day, a generation will arise where if a garment isn’t tagged with a digital passport, they won’t buy it’,” Sartori opines. He likens it to the food industry where manufacturing details are extensive and clear on labels.
Before you deem this as merely Zegna jumping on the sustainability bandwagon that every other fashion brand is on, the very foundations of the brand is rooted in caring for the environment and community. It goes back to 1910 with founder Ermenegildo Zegna planting the first tree in the area surrounding his mill. And about 20 years later, he constructed a 26-kilometre road to make Oasi Zegna accessible to the local community and link them to its natural surroundings, providing a public space for leisure and outdoor activities among nature.
“I’m almost surprised that Zegna had never spoken about Oasi Zegna before,” Sartori expresses. “We thought it was a mistake and something we needed to communicate because it’s the honest and authentic vision of the company.”
It’s one of the rare instances in our interview that Sartori agrees that if there’s something the brand needs to be “louder” about, this would be it.
On Sartori’s part, it had already been a guiding principle for his designs. He sees sustainability as more than simply using recycled materials—Zegna continues to do so with its #UseTheExisting fabrications made from recycled sources—or one-off capsule collections. To Sartori, it’s a mindset that goes down to the very make of a garment. He cites the example of the very basics of tailoring: quality construction made to last. From the stitchings of the shoulders to how a buttonhole is made, everything has to be built with the idea that it should last for a very long time.
“If I designed a jacket that after three years doesn’t hold together and breaks during travel, I wouldn’t have done my job. The goal is for you to wear a jacket that after 15 years might have a little hole, but remains completely wearable. That is my dream,” he says.
Sartori calls this “designing for sustainability”, where there needs to be some foresight in constructing a garment in ways that would allow it to last, as well as have the possibility of being recycled. A jacket constructed with a lot of fusing, for instance, wouldn’t be recyclable because disassembling it is near impossible.
While seasonality is still apparent in Zegna’s collections, Sartori doesn’t design specific to each season. The collections have been streamlined such that ideas transcend seasons, but still rooted in a specific aesthetic that he’s crafted to be Zegna’s version of modern tailoring. It’s unabashedly louche and relaxed with foundational elements consisting of knitwear, the overshirt, the chore jacket, the signature Triple Stitch sneakers, voluminous trousers and the like. The look has been consistent since the Autumn/Winter 2021 collection as part of an evolution that was already in the works but accelerated by Covid.
In the consistency lies timelessness. You wouldn’t easily part ways with a Zegna piece from one season; there’s seamless integration between pieces from different seasons. Let’s face it, a Zegna piece is an investment that you’d want to hold on to and wear for as long as possible anyway. And Sartori continues to make that easier.
So yes, Sartori may be a fan of the Formula One races. The speed and the sounds (he’s unfazed by the zooming of cars below us, audible towards the end of our interview) may thrill him. But at his core, he’s not one to condone needless speed, but a still, calm force that pushes ahead with intention.
There's no love song finer /
But how strange the change /
From major to minor /
Ev'ry time we say goodbye
- "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" by Cole Porter
As a child, you're a blank slate. When people say, it is written in the stars, they are basing it on long-dead planets, their light burnt out long before their rays could reach us. Was it a sign of things to come when Bruno Major, aged seven, took up the guitar? Or maybe, we're reading too much into it.
But it made sense, in hindsight. Of course, he'd gravitate towards music. It was always a constant in the Major household—a brother who would later be part of London Grammar; a father who plays guitar; a tickle of the ivories of the piano in the house.
At seven, Major was gifted a guitar for Christmas. Six hours a day, he'd play on it; his red-raw fingertips giving way to calloused bumps.
It was like wearing a coat tailored made for him: music felt as familiar as it was exciting. Major knew at the time—as certain as children knew about the rising of the sun or that the love from their pets would never leave them—that he would end up being a musician.
Metal appealed to the teenage Major. As a teenager, changes to his body and emotions swept over him like a tsunami. He saw his first Korn concert at 13; wore eyeliner; painted his nails black; played in a metal band, the culture spoke to him and, contrary to the general misconception, the genre has a high level of musicianship that Major appreciated.
"There was a lot of crossover between metal and jazz," Major says. "In some way, metal was my foray into jazz because I started to learn about modes and scales like 'that's the Dorian mode or that's the Phrygian mode', which are the basics of jazz."
He became a session guitarist at 16 and pursued a jazz degree at Leeds Conservatoire (formally Leeds College of Music). Moving to London, Major tried to find his voice in the music world. It was after talking to a homeless man that he felt inspired to write his first song. Unable to find anyone to sing it, Major sang it himself. And then he sang another of his song. And another.
Major uploaded his compositions to his Soundcloud account, where it caught the ears of the music labels. He'd signed to Virgin Records, who flew him out to LA and gave him the star treatment as he recorded his first album.
Then the label unceremoniously dropped him. Calling the album "rubbish", Virgin Records refused to release it. (An EP called Live was the only recording that was released with the label; three of the four songs would be featured in his future albums.)
Devastated, Major returned to Northampton. He lived off what was left of his advance and took up a job with a local theatre company to pen music for Shakespeare plays. His confidence as a songwriter took a nose dive, he tried writing but didn't think they were any good. Major was tethering, the option of quitting a looming possibility.
It was a car ride with his mother that would give him a fresh perspective. She imparted a balm: that what he was going through are all "part of [his] tapestry". That stayed with him. (Days later, he would pen "Tapestry", which later be included in his 2020 album, To Let a Good Thing Die.)
Major decided on an ambitious project of writing a song every month for a year.
"Originally, the idea was a song a month for the rest of my life," Major explains. "My manager was like, Dude, I don't think you should do that. Maybe just try for a year? But it was pretty intensive. The songs had to be delivered a week before the monthly deadline. So actually, it was a song for three weeks, then I deliver it, take a few days off and then start again."
He had no expectations. The project was an exercise in whether he could write a song with an imposing deadline. Some songs were easy ("Just the Same" was written in 20 minutes), others were hard (Major almost missed the deadline with "Easily").
All 12 songs were compiled into an album called, A Song for Every Moon. It was released independently and garnered 30 million streams in a year. The experience taught him a lot. Major learnt how to let go, to put something out even if he thought it sucked. By not having to overthink, Major made better music. This was the start of his career
The world is made smaller by the Internet. He'd want to perform in South America; he'd want to return to India. ("I was in India playing for another artist.") That he is able to reach people all over the world, that magic isn't lost on him.
"Being on tour is wild. You get up, work out, you eat, you do the gig, you travel, repeat. After a while, you get to enter into a flow." He gestures to our interview, "This sort of breaks it up. It's fun.
"I love travelling and I can understand why people would find it boring after a while but I love it. In fact, the only problem for me is when the tour finishes because you have to return to normalcy."
Bruno would post a video on his Instagram about the 24 hours he'd spent in Singapore. It's a whirlwind affair with snippets of our photoshoot, a visit to the local Spotify office, rehearsals and then the big sold-out show at The Capitol. At the end of it, he looks relieved, energised even before the video cuts out.
With all that he has going for him, imposter syndrome sneaks in. "There's a weird thing with writing where it doesn't feel like you've accomplished anything. Like, with the latest album, Columbo."
After touring for Moon, Major rented a home in LA and worked on his sophomore album, To Let A Good Thing Die. This follow-up to Moon was about the arc of a relationship; Major had broken up with a girlfriend and while acknowledging that it's better to let things go, love is ever-present.
He was about to embark on a world tour to promote it when travel became heavily restricted thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. He moved back into his parents' Northampton house; he played video games and drank. As an independent artist, Major's main form of promotion is touring. He pivoted to placing more emphasis on his social media presence, performing online and interacting with his fans. Like the rest of the world, Bruno was waiting out the pandemic.
"I was extremely fortunate. I was in a nice place; I was with people that I loved, we were healthy."
But still, he wished something more could be made with the second album. It's one of those youthful yearnings, both envied and forgiven, where a man in his life of 30, needed to make something of himself.
So the moment travel restrictions were lifted, he booked himself on a plane to LA and stayed in Silver Lake. For the next six months, he lived twice as hard as he could, trying to make up for all the lost time. It was a prolific period in his life; an explosion of creativity.
The pandemic was a period of introspection for Major: who is he if he couldn't tour or make music as he once could? It forced him to examine who he is on the inside. Borne out of a rebirth from Covid, this would be the theme of the third album.
He started driving around in a vintage car that he christened "Columbo" as its paint job matches the colour of the trench coat of Peter Falk's endearing TV detective. This represented a renewed freedom post-pandemic. Even after he'd crashed the car, Columbo would become the album's title track.
"I made Columbo in my bedroom. I converted one of the bedrooms in my house into a studio," Major says. "My success is defined by having created the thing that I am proud of. And I'm more proud of Columbo than I am of any of my previous albums."
Studying at the feet of jazz masters, Major cites his heroes like a devotee reciting the psalms by heart: Kurt Rosenwinkel; Biréli Lagrène; Wes Montgomery; Joe Pass; Cannonball Adderley… these are famous jazz musicians but they're not household names.
Major once saw Rosenwinkel play in London. Despite the modest attendance, Rosenwinkel performed like the absolute master he is at his craft. "He has more talent in his fingernail than 99 out of 100 of the artists that are on the top 100 popular music charts," Major says. Success does not equate to the greatness of one's art and inversely, the lack of success does not mean that you're a terrible musician.
At the end of the day, it's always Major and his songs.
"I think it helps when you do not have preconceptions or expectations. I never really thought anybody would want to listen to my music, I'm grateful to be here. It's mostly just me and my songs. Everything else that comes along with it is a wonderful bonus.
"[There are perks] but they are temporary things. As Pharrell says, if you have a library card, make sure that you use it because at some point it will expire. It's highly unlikely that in 30 years' time, people would want me for interviews and photo shoots… maybe, I dunno. Who knows? But my music will still be there and people will be listening to it."
We see the stars at night, our awe is caught by their luminance. And we marvel that in the empty blackness, a light persists.
Photography: Shawn Paul Tan
Styling: Asri Jasman
Grooming: Christian M
Photography assistant: Xie Feng Mao
Styling assistant: Lance Aeron
That concludes fashion month, I suppose. Buyers, stylists, models, and celebrities have been traveling between fashion capitals over the past few weeks to learn how the world's best-dressed men will be dressing for next summer.
So, what's the verdict? Are we all going to be dressed like highlighter pens, or will neutral shades reign supreme once again? Will the silhouettes be baggy or Meet Me in the Bathroom-level skinny? Will our wardrobes be even more gorpcore-y or Y2K or... neither? Without further ado, here's our trend breakdown.
Showing at Fendi’s leather goods factory, Silvia Venturini Fendi presented a collection that played tribute to the callous-thumbed artisans that fill her team. Suits came with stitches for fitting alterations and shirts were printed with toolkits, but it was in the accessories where you could see a direct connection to workers’ uniforms. Models walked with F-monogrammed coffee cups (some in holders, some in hand), documents, measuring tape and name tags as if they were just clocking in for another day.
This trend for accessorising everyday items and elevating the supposedly mundane continued into Paris Fashion Week. Louis Vuitton also had a fellow caffeine addict walk their runway, this time with a straw poking out of the coffee cup lid, as well a model who sported a leather version of the LV shopping bag.
It’s natural for summer collections to be a bit on the brighter side, but no one was expecting the sheer amount of clothes that were imbued with a satsuma-esque shade of orange. While the colour can be intimidating for even the most extroverted dresser, designers made it look as effortless as an Easy Peeler: Dries Van Noten paired pumpkin shorts with a tucked-in double-breasted blazer, while Etro’s more brazen take—a tinsel tank and hoody combo—is for the risk takers. For a contemporary take on suiting, Zegna’s pastel pieces shouldn’t be ignored, and should prove to be a go-to for wedding attire next year, but for casual, everyday-wear, Bianca Saunders’ graphic tees are a must.
Recently, the baseball cap has had a comeback, and it appears that the sporting fervor will continue into next summer as well. Fendi, Martine Rose and Saul Nash all had their own takes, varying from Italian leather to acid-wash denim. But there was more outré headwear, too. Kim Jones had his models wear colourful beanies (at an askew angle) while at Kenzo, Nigo showed wide-brim sun hats and printed berets.
The rules of smart-casual dressing have always included a time-tested formula: pair a nice shirt with some more relaxed bottoms and... there you have it. Foolproof, which is why it featured heavily across the spring/summer ’24 shows. But for this season, you should expect shirt designs that are brasher and a lot more eye-catching. Dior, for example, bejewelled a work shirt with a load of blue crystals, while Ami and Dries Van Noten both had heavily sequinned button-downs within their collections. Prada even stuck on 3D florals and some fringing onto theirs. The message is clear: the bolder the better.
This season also saw brands embrace a concept that has been embraced in womenswear for decades: the going out top. Fendi had a halterneck shirt where the arms drape behind, and Loewe presented a metallic blouse that sparkled like a disco ball. And for more retro takes, Saint Laurent had sleeveless pussybows and sheer blouses aplenty.
It’s lucky that the Y2K low-rise trend has barely entered the menswear-sphere, despite having dominated womenswear for seasons now. In fact, brands are rebelling against it. Waistlines were well above the belly button at Loewe and Prada in both trousers and shorts form respectively, while the use of cummerbunds at D&G and Wales Bonner gave the visual illusion of longer legs and shorter torsos.
Hemlines have also started retreating north, despite seasons of the long and slouchy silhouette. All of the longer-length bottoms at Dior were cropped just above the ankle, and at Hermès the hems were turned up to give full view of the models' fisherman sandals. Waistbands and hemlines are moving on up.
Perennial plants have been blooming in menswear for the last few years, and seeing them blooming in this season’s collections isn’t all that unusual. However, they were blown up to larger and slightly darker sizes as opposed to the more twee prints we had previously seen. As mentioned earlier, Prada had 3D lilies stitched onto shirts, but also positioned them alongside prints of slightly gloomier (potentially underwatered) styles. Emporio Armani centred their black-heavy collection around a ginkgo leaf, where it featured as cut-outs on peak lapel blazers and woven onto lattice-like tops. Valentino had singular roses, an enlarged poppy motif and peonies as part of its sartorial garden, and Kenzo had rose heads printed and stitched onto its denim pieces.
While pairing a linen suit with sandals isn’t exactly a revolutionary move, the catwalks this year were particularly... toe-heavy. Expect wedding wardrobes to follow suit, for better or worse. Dries Van Noten paired a waist-hugging black suit with leather flip flops, and the toe-dividing footwear was also seen at Wales Bonner, where it was styled with a structured linen two-piece. If you have an aversion to seeing your tootsies outside of beach locations, follow Hermès’ lead by sticking to a fisherman sandal. Suited and booted? No, it’s about being suited and sandaled.
The sheer volume of suits and tailoring on the spring/summer '24 runways proved that, despite the pandemic's best efforts to the contrary, they are still in demand. Still, it was clear that there was one cut that reigned supreme for the season: the double breasted suit. They opened the show at Givenchy, worn with hands in pockets at Loewe, paired with contrasting trousers at Ami, as part of a three-piece suit at Paul Smith and in a horse-bit check print at Gucci.
Originally published on Esquire UK
192 bales of raw linen were transported from Normandy to Milan for the Zegna spring/summer 2024 runway show. They formed an oasis of sorts—Zegna calls the show L'Oasi di Lino (translation: the linen oasis)—within the Piazza San Fedele in Milan.
More than a showcase of what's coming up for the season, the show was once again a reiteration of Zegna's efforts at ensuring that its materials—the very basis of the brand—are sourced and produced with as little negative effects to the environment as possible. And before you call out the brand for potentially wasting raw materials for the show's scenography, Zegna ensures that the raw linen will be turned into its Oasi Linen fabric in Italy. It's also committed to certifying Oasi Linen as 100 percent traceable by 2024.
With that, the hero of the Zegna spring/summer 2024 collection is linen. A number of amalgamations were featured throughout the collection with treatments that displayed artistic director Alessandro Sartori's tactile mastery in materiality. And of course, his penchant for monochromatic looks.
The fit: There was an overall sense of ease and lightness to the collection that's typical of Zegna, and it's even more so owed to the generally linen-based fabrication. Shorts were cut roomy and grazed the knees, and were mostly part of coordinates—a Sartori-favoured leitmotif of constant reimaginings of men's suiting. Blazers were cut without lapels for a more streamlined appearance and oversized outerwear were designed with clean lines ensuring that elements were all flushed with little flourishes. On some instances where lapels did appear, they're actually a result of trompe-l'œil techniques, especially visible on the leather pieces (looks 27 and 33).
The collection's knitwear amplified the sense of tactility, adding both visual interest as well as contrasting textures. And if there's one thing that grounded the entire collection, it would be the triangular scarves seen on a number of looks. There's a sprezzatura sensibility about them that conjures this idea of an Italian summer—perhaps lounging around next to bales of hay (or linen) and without a single care in the world.
The details: Soft handbags crafted from supple leather made several appearances, echoing a similar kind of airiness of the ready-to-wear. The footwear though are the stars. The Triple Stitch was adapted into an espadrille-hybrid with visible rope-stitching running along the soles. Sartori also introduced a new slip-on shoe design cut from one piece of leather and affixed with chunky, textured soles for a truly sophisticated look.
Three exceptional looks: Look 14's classic Zegna fit with the addition of a triangular scarf for that added style factor; look 18 was a beautifully cut jumpsuit that retained elements of traditional menswear tailoring, especially in the interior; and look 45's textural masterpiece in the collection's standout flamingo hue.
The takeaway: This is not your grandfather's linen.
View the full Zegna spring/summer 2024 collection in the gallery below.
The proverb goes that good things come to those who wait, and you know what? It's usually true. There’s no shortcut to making a great Sunday roast, no way to quicken the flight to a sun-struck tropical destination without causing an international incident. And in fashion, this mantra prevails; that six month (plus) wait for collections to drop post-catwalk can feel never-ending. But how long does it take for two cashmere devotees to formulate a collection that knitwear aficionados will be drooling over? In the case of the newly launched Zegna and The Elder Statesman collab, two and a half years.
Launching today, it was first teased during the former brand’s autumn/winter ’23 show last month. After multiple looks washed in grey, the first hint of the collection disrupted the neutral palette with a poppy knitted shirt and trousers – a key signifier of the colorful collection that was to come. The L.A-cool intrinsic to The Elder Statesman (and its founder, Greg Chait) mixed with Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori’s contemporary tailoring results in a blinding use of shades and print – and even better, it’s all made with cashmere.
It's also the first instalment of the Zegna’s Oasi Cashmere project. Launched last September, the brand will collaborate with other innovators in the field to utilise natural materials to their advantage. By 2024, all cashmere pieces will be fully traceable and this initiative is meant to promote the craftsmanship necessary for making the yarn into a wearable piece of clothing. Not only will it push the brand into a more environmentally conscious direction, it’ll allow some great, one-of-a-kind garms.
The attention to detail that went into this first chapter proves why it took so long to come together. In silhouettes that are suitable for day and night, you’ll find a mixture of the design codes that makes the two loved globally. So-Cal flannels cut into tailored shirts and trousers; duster coats with blanket stitch trims; corduroy-esque suits ranging from lilac to aurora yellow. Youthful designs have been made with craftsmanship that’ll appeal to the Venice Beach hype-beasts as well as the middle-aged artisan-lovers who want some wavy weekend-wear.
To celebrate, the two fiber-obsessed partners played host for an event during Paris Fashion Week. John Bodega, Maye Musk, and Arnaud Valois came to visit the immersive installation, where a case of flying cashmere specs and shelves filled with yarns were left for the guests to interact with. And by their reaction, it seems it’s not just Sartori or Chait that can’t stop playing with the goat-derived material.
Sadly, though, more patience is required. Dropping in stores this September, you’ve still got a little longer till you can cop yourself a feel of the pieces. Rest assured, it’ll be well worth the wait.
