ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA CELEBRATES THE 55th EDITION OF ITS WOOL AWARDS

In 1910, Ermenegildo Zegna started the Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna (Zegna Wool Mill) in his home town of Trivero, Italy. Here, he focused his attention to this ancient noble fiber; as it would soon become the foundation of Zegna’s legacy. This year, we celebrate the 55th edition of a product of this legacy, the prestigious Wool Awards. Established in association with the Australian Superfine Wool growers’ Association, the awards consist of The Eermenegildo Zegna Extrafine Wool Trophy, for quality, and The Vellus  Aureum Trophy, for wool 13.9 micron and finer.

These awards were initiated with a purpose. Not just in celebration of fine fabrics. These awards were implemented to stimulate the production of fine Merino wool in Australia. Zegna strongly believed in the future success of fine fabrics and ultimately wanted to encourage breeders to as well. The awards pressured breeders to obtain finer fibers with higher quality rather than coarser framed sheep that guarantee a greater profit margin. In essence, Zegna instilled the importance of care and quality in wool production and in material production as a greater whole.

He saw the importance of quality before his time and ran with it, ultimately passing it down through a four generation empire of the worlds most luxurious craftsmanship in the wool industry. Now, generations later, Zegna remains part of the Zegna family. One of the hands in which it resides is Paolo Zegna. Over the years, Paolo Zegna has held various key positions in the company since joining in 1981.

From Board of Directors to chairman of Ermenegildo Zegna Holditalia, to presidential/Vice-presidential positions at Confindustria (the Italian industrial confederation) and Altagamma, Paolo has and will continue to make his mark upon the world of fine textiles and fashion. As the first major Italian brand continues to internationalize its products, Ermenegildo Zegna can now be found in retail stores in over 60 countries across the world and in 62 cities across America alone.