Ermenegildo Zegna is as Italian as a bowl of pasta - over the years the label has become synonymous with classic Italian style, attracting fans such as Brad Pitt, Leon Lai Ming and Adrien Brody, who famously accepted his best actor Oscar for The Pianist wearing a Ermenegildo Zegna tux.
But while the brand has made its bread and butter through its distribution of luxury fabrics and line of luxe handmade suits, there's a side of the empire that's quietly transforming menswear with its not-so-traditional mix of contemporary style and cutting-edge fabrics.
This was evident last week when the fashion house celebrated its 100th anniversary with a global store opening and big fete in Shanghai, including a fashion show and party for more than 2,000 guests and entertainment from mainland singing sensation Sa Dingding and hip DJ and style icon Roisin Murphy.
Festivities aside, what really got the crowd buzzing was the runway show that included the latest autumn-winter collection from the under-the-radar brand, Z Zegna. Models took to the catwalk in lean and mean suits featuring jackets deconstructed and re-engineered to expose bound raw-edged seams and long trousers gathered at the ankles. Padded jackets were compact, flat and light, while striped wool transformed seamlessly into checks on a belted coat and another featured leather trims.
'I call it techno tailoring - it's something which is a projection of past into future,' says Alessandro Sartori, creative director of Z Zegna and the man behind Adrien Brody's classic Oscar outfit ('It was my proudest moment,' he says later).
'I wanted to bring out the beautiful tailoring and construction but with a modernist approach. The stitches are different, the weight of the fabrics are different. In the past, jacket construction was heavy - now classic sewing has been replaced with raw seams and inside is unlined. A jersey suit features stretch panelling, so it's movable. It's futuristic tailoring for a new generation that likes beautiful tailoring with a modern look.'
It may sound light years away from a house whose heritage is rooted in fabric mills and couture-finish, made-to-measure suits, but Sartori takes his mission seriously.