Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori on stealth wealth, the rise of office leisurewear and the illusive success of the Triple Stitch trainer so beloved by Apple CEO Tim Cook

Oct 8 , 2023

Alessandro Sartori, artistic director of Zegna, with Greg Chait, founder and CEO of The Elder Statesmen. Photos: Handout

Since taking the helm in 2016, Alessandro Sartori has ushered in a new era at the Italian heritage maison – underlined when it rebranded from Ermenegildo Zegna in 2021

The change is embodied in the bestselling Triple Stitch, dubbed the ‘the most-worn shoes on private jets’ and a pillar of the stealth wealth movement exemplified by the clothes worn in HBO’s Succession

As recently as five years ago, it would have been hard to believe that Zegna would be behind one of the most successful pairs of luxury trainers in the world. Or that said sneaker – the Triple Stitch – would be the brand’s bestselling product.

Dubbed “the most-worn shoes on private jets” – Apple CEO Tim Cook is a fan – the ultimate “lazy luxury” shoe represents a broader strategy shift at the storied Italian menswear maison. It started in 2016, when Zegna hired Alessandro Sartori as artistic director, and culminated in 2021, when it rebranded from the mouthful “Ermenegildo Zegna” – after the man who founded the firm in Piedmont in 1910 – to simply Zegna.

Andrew Garfield and Chris Pine with Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori in Milan in June

A veteran of the house – he had been in charge of the company’s now-defunct second line, Z Zegna, for eight years before moving to French label Berluti – Sartori was tasked with making the brand more relevant. This was long before Covid-19 upended the global’s male sartorial approach – as the 56-year-old made clear when he sat down with Style at the Los Angeles unveiling of Zegna’s collaboration with cashmere label The Elder Statesman.

Zegna, one of the few luxury brands in the world to control the entire production process of its creations – from raw materials to finished products – has always been a purveyor of beautifully designed and lavishly made suits.

“We’ve always been very strong with the tailored suit and tie, which if you think about it, hides your personality because you put on a suit like that – the famous power suit – to feel powerful even though in reality your personality is not always reflected in what you’re wearing,” Sartori says.

Zegna’s collaboration with cashmere label The Elder Statesman

While the brand has not completely rejected its previous core values, it was definitely ripe for a bit of disruption. An evolution “also due to the open-mindedness of the management and CEO”, he adds, “because other brands unfortunately have managers who are not very open and don’t understand how to move forward”.

Known for his impeccable personal style and often referred to as one of the best-dressed men in the industry, Sartori believes that while Covid-19 accelerated the pivot towards leisurewear at the expense of tailoring, it was bound to happen anyway, sooner or later.