To coincide with the launch of Expo Milano 2015 on May 2, luxury fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna reiterated its commitment to both the arts and the environment with an event entitled Fabulae Naturae.
Hundreds of guests, which included Zegna clients and media from around the world, converged at the company’s Via Savona headquarters to embark on a multi-sensory journey that included food, fashion and art. The event centred around a new project by artists Lucy + Jorge Orta, which combined performance art, nature-inspired visuals and a limited edition collection of Limoge plates.
Commissioned by ZegnArt, a platform founded by the Zegna Group to support contemporary visual arts, the Ortas’ installation highlighted the company’s strong sense of corporate social responsibility and its long-standing commitment to the environment — a stance that harks back to the 1930s when Ermenegildo Zegna himself initiated a programme of environmental reclamation around Trivero, where the Zegna wool mill operates to this day. Oasi Zegna, a freely accessible nature park covering around 100 square kilometres between Trivero and Valle Cervo in the Biella Alps, in Piemonte, was created in 1993 as a tribute to this eco-conscious approach.
On May 2, bold floral murals transformed the company’s Milan headquarters into an otherworldly forest reminiscent of Oasi Zegna. Lucy Orta took inspiration directly from the Heberlein Fund, a vast collection of textile samples acquired by Zegna in 2011, looking in particular at two volumes from the 1970s featuring colourful geometric floral fabrics. Translations of these motifs were found adorning the walls of the Zegna headquarters, as well as a collection of 500 specially created limited-edition Royal Limoges porcelain plates that were put on sale during the evening. Proceeds from the sale will contribute to the restoration of Punta Mesco, near Levanto. Organised in collaboration with FAI — Fondo Ambiente Italiano, the funds from every plate sold will be used to plant part of a row of vines.
At the heart of the setting was a life-size tree drawn on the floor, the branches of which led guests to food stations where sustainable delicacies by Italian uber-chef Davide Oldani were served. Inspired by the guiding theme of Expo 2015, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, the project provided an artistic reflection on food as both as a source of energy and life.
The Fabulae Naturae installation will be open to the public at the Milan Headquarters of the Zegna Group in collaboration with Connecting Cultures, which will hold a free guided tour on May 24 and 31 at 10am. If you’re in the neighbourhood, it’s well worth a visit, even if it’s just to admire Zegna’s beautiful Antonio Citterio-designed headquarters. The tour lasts about an hour and is available by reservation (www.connectingcultures.info).
To find out more about Ermenegildo Zegna’s sustainable approach to fashion, read our exclusive interview with Anna Zegna in the next issue of Luxury magazine, out with The National on June 4.
sdenman@thenational.ae
