The unlikely collaboration between Ermenegildo Zegna and Fear of God connects two separate and distinct worlds on a new harmonious plane of contrasts.
By RADHINA ALMEIDA COUTINHO
Photography HENRY RUGGERI
What happens when two different worlds connect rather than collide? That’s the space Ermenegildo Zegna’s Alessandro Sartori and Jerry Lorenzo of LA-based Fear of God sought to inhabit when they began exploring a collection of easy and accessible menswear that weaves together the DNA of their two distinct brands - one an Italian mainstay with a legacy of over a century of tailored craftmanship, and the other a 21st century LA label that embraces everything that has come to represent the fresh face of America - varsity athleticism, California skater culture and high school garage bands.
The worlds could not appear more distinct, yet the vision appears unusually aligned - to tear down the walls separating formal suiting and laidback loungewear. While Ermenegildo Zegna has, for more than a century, retained its ties to fine wool provenance and meticulously cut and crafted suits, Lorenzo’s Fear of God label has in recent years attracted a cult following among global music and sports icons with its celebration of counter culture and anti-heroes embodied in luxe but comfortably draped and layered styles, repurposed vintage military fabrics, in addition to 80s and 90s British streetwear.
With an emphasis on tactile luxury and a stylistic grammar borrowed from both fine tailoring as well as louche living, the new Fear of God collection exclusively for Ermenegildo Zegna has succeeded in creating a remarkably fresh new sartorial language that treads that elusive line between pulled-together style and relaxed, rakish comfort.
“While our backgrounds are vastly different, the goal was the same and what we are trying to achieve is exceptionality in physical form. Fusing the idea of the new American luxury with the 110 years of heritage of Zegna’s craftsmanship towards tailoring, all accomplished with humility and honesty. I don't want to take credit for making suiting comfortable - other designers have put their approach on suiting before. The difference is that this gap is intrinsically ours and ours only. One of the things that gives you the right to an opinion is when you see things differently, and that was the underlying driving force of this collection: this gap.”