For the second time in as many months Italian menswear house Zegna has announced a new capsule collection in collaboration with a fellow key designer, this time Los Angeles-based brand The Elder Statesman.
Working with The Elder Statesman’s Creative Director Bailey Hunter, collection is a stunning kaleidoscope of motifs from both brands: the bold prints and colours used by The Elder Statesman (here, expressed in shades of of green, lilac, aurora yellow and bacca red) as well as their preference for oversized, draping pieces intermixed with Zegna’s fluid, yet structural, silhouettes. All done with a lighthearted softness that marks both brands but taken to the next level here.
This rather colourful, and perhaps to some, surprising partnership was first teased during the Zegna Fall Winter 2023 show in Milan when a model walked the runway wearing a scarlet shirt carrying an overcoat – a singular, striking look in a sea of neutrals, black and chocolates.
Founded by LA-native Greg Chait back in 2007, The Elder Statesman draws inspiration for their clothing from California’s coastal lifestyle and surf cultures. The brand’s approach to fashion is wearable psychedelia at its best. Brightly coloured knitwear – from sweaters to socks – that bring a sense of irreverent playfulness to everyday garments. This philosophy of elevating high-rotational pieces into statements of luxury is one that makes the pairing of Chait’s brand with Zegna a natural step for the Italian maison.
Zegna Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori’s constant reinvention of tailoring as a practice, incorporating athletic and casual elements into formal pieces, has transformed the brand’s output from traditional suiting into something more mutable and integrated with multifunctional needs.
This means that the lines between casual and formal, and even athletic, are blurred to the point of non-existence. All that matters is the elegance of the look.
Underpinning the relationship, aside from shared values, is the use of cashmere. When Chait first launched The Elder Statesman, it was with a line of cashmere blankets and the precious fibre is still core to the brand’s creative process. Cashmere, specifically Oasi Cashmere, has become a key dialogue of Zegna as it aims to highlight the natural fibre’s versatility and durability, a truly universal and sustainable material.
Made entirely from Oasi Cashmere, the collaboration continues that dialogue through the lens of The Elder Statesman, for whom the idea of wearability isn’t just comfort but in creating clothes that are intended to be worn again and again.
In a joint statement on the release, both Zegna and The Elder Statesman say “Oasi Cashmere is a platform to encounter new cultures and visions that are both progressive and responsible. For ZEGNA, working with like-minded partners like The Elder Statesman is a key part of Its commitment towards the traceability of natural fibres. For The Elder Statesman, this partnership is the first step in enriching its supply chain with the Zegna Group’s textile mastery and further elevating the work of its own artisans.”
The collection will be available starting from September 2023 in key ZEGNA stores globally.
