Zegna-From Sheep to Suit

by J.J. Smith, WSJ Magazine
Apr. 24, 2013

SET ON A ROCKY, secluded mountaintop in northern Italy, the Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna has been spinning fabric magic for the last 100 years. The historic mill specializes in the super-refined wool that is used not only for Zegna’s own suits, but also for a list of luxury labels like Tom Ford and Gucci. Though 100-percent Italian-made, this prized fabric actually originates oceans away, on the backs of merino sheep in Australia, the world’s top shepherding location.

In order to maintain its own wool’s exalted status, Zegna mounts a Holy Grail–like quest each year across Australia to bag the finest fibers in the land, and hands out trophies to the lots that meet its strict criteria. A decade ago, Zegna established the elite Vellus Aureum category (“golden fleece” in Latin), a contest that focuses on uber fineness, lightness of weight and mega durability, with the winners announced every April.

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