Gildo Zegna
Chairman & Chief Executive, Ermenegildo Zegna Group
He expanded and drove sales past one billion euros at the world’s largest luxury menswear brand, founded by his grandfather.
Ermenegildo “Gildo” Zegna is Chairman and CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group . A member of the Zegna family’s third generation, Gildo oversees the company founded by his grandfather and namesake in 1910. In December 2021, he led the Group through its public listing on the New York Stock Exchange, making history as the first Italian luxury group listed on the world’s largest stock exchange.
Gildo was born in Turin, Italy, in 1955, and graduated from the University of London in 1978. After starting his career at Bloomingdale’s in New York, he joined the family business in 1982, leading Zegna’s business in North America and then in Spain. In 1989, he joined the company’s board of directors and was named CEO in 1997.
Under his leadership, the Zegna brand – which started as a single wool mill in Trivero, Italy – has grown into a leading Italian luxury group that encompasses a one-of-a-kind Made in Italy Luxury Textile Laboratory Platform that produces some of the world’s finest textiles and fabrics. As CEO, Gildo also oversaw the successful acquisition and integration of American brand Thom Browne in 2018, as well as the recent rebranding of Zegna as a one recognizable brand in 2021.
Gildo’s leadership follows that of his grandfather before him, which is based on the firm belief that building a successful brand and company cannot be done without also caring for the environment and communities that support a company. The natural embodiment of this philosophy is Oasi Zegna – a natural park that spreads for 100 square kilometres across the Biella Alps in Northern Italy. The Oasi is a reflection of the values on which the Group was built, preserving the predecessors’ legacy while creating products and a lifestyle that are in harmony with nature.
Gildo is also Chairman of the Board of directors of Thom Browne Inc., Filati Biagioli Modesto, S.p.A. and Monterubello S.s and a board member of Tom Ford International LLC. He is also a Member of the Strategic Committee and Advisor of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and has been an active Member of the Council for the United States and Italy since 2013. In 2011, Gildo was nominated Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Italian Republic, and in 2016 received Premio Leonardo, a prestigious award given to an Italian leader who has meaningfully promoted Italy’s image on a global scale. Gildo also served as a member of the board of directors of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. from 2014 to 2021.
Career History
VITAL STATISTICS
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High Margin: Inside Zegna’s Next Chapter
In a wide-ranging interview, Gildo Zegna opens up about succession, the future of ‘Made in Italy,’ his plans for Tom Ford and Thom Browne and how the Zegna brand can keep surfing a choppy luxury market.
High Margin: Inside Zegna’s Next Chapter
In a wide-ranging interview, Gildo Zegna opens up about succession, the future of ‘Made in Italy,’ his plans for Tom Ford and Thom Browne and how the Zegna brand can keep surfing a choppy luxury market.
Zegna Group Names New Leadership as Family Plans Succession
Gianluca Tagliabue has been named CEO of the Italian luxury group, as Gildo Zegna becomes executive chairman. Edoardo and Angelo Zegna will serve as co-CEOs of the company's flagship Zegna brand.
Zegna Group Names New Leadership as Family Plans Succession
Gianluca Tagliabue has been named CEO of the Italian luxury group, as Gildo Zegna becomes executive chairman. Edoardo and Angelo Zegna will serve as co-CEOs of the company's flagship Zegna brand.
Italian Fashion Groups Set Aside Rivalries to Preserve ‘Made in Italy’
Prada, Zegna and others have started teaming up to protect their supply chains, showing a new spirit of collaboration.
Italian Fashion Groups Set Aside Rivalries to Preserve ‘Made in Italy’
Prada, Zegna and others have started teaming up to protect their supply chains, showing a new spirit of collaboration.
Zegna Group Reports €65M Profit Amid ‘Quiet Luxury’ Boom
Ermenegildo Zegna Group is currently seeing double-digit growth in stores after hitting €1.5 billion in sales last year. With a slowdown expected for luxury brands, chairman Gildo Zegna tells BoF the recently rebranded menswear giant is well-positioned to outperform.
Zegna Group Reports €65M Profit Amid ‘Quiet Luxury’ Boom
Ermenegildo Zegna Group is currently seeing double-digit growth in stores after hitting €1.5 billion in sales last year. With a slowdown expected for luxury brands, chairman Gildo Zegna tells BoF the recently rebranded menswear giant is well-positioned to outperform.
Why Ermenegildo Zegna Is Going Public
The Italian menswear brand is raising $880 million by merging with a New York-listed SPAC. The funds will give the luxury firm greater financial firepower to help it bounce back from a bruising pandemic year and fend off competitors.
Why Ermenegildo Zegna Is Going Public
The Italian menswear brand is raising $880 million by merging with a New York-listed SPAC. The funds will give the luxury firm greater financial firepower to help it bounce back from a bruising pandemic year and fend off competitors.
Zegna and Fear of God: What the Merger of Suiting and Streetwear Says About the Men’s Market
Ermenegildo Zegna’s Alessandro Sartori is teaming up with Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo on a collection that launches during Paris Fashion Week. Tim Blanks decodes the logic behind the collaboration and what it says about the state of menswear.
Zegna and Fear of God: What the Merger of Suiting and Streetwear Says About the Men’s Market
Ermenegildo Zegna’s Alessandro Sartori is teaming up with Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo on a collection that launches during Paris Fashion Week. Tim Blanks decodes the logic behind the collaboration and what it says about the state of menswear.
The BoF Podcast: Ermenegildo Zegna Talks Bold Investments
Ermenegildo Zegna sits down with Imran Amed at the BoF China Summit to discuss the forward-looking, “millennial mindset” approach that underpins Zegna Group’s market strategy.
The BoF Podcast: Ermenegildo Zegna Talks Bold Investments
Ermenegildo Zegna sits down with Imran Amed at the BoF China Summit to discuss the forward-looking, “millennial mindset” approach that underpins Zegna Group’s market strategy.
Future-Proofing the Ermenegildo Zegna Group
The recent acquisition of Thom Browne and a more casual approach to product are keeping the menswear giant one step ahead, says chief executive Ermenegildo Zegna.
Future-Proofing the Ermenegildo Zegna Group
The recent acquisition of Thom Browne and a more casual approach to product are keeping the menswear giant one step ahead, says chief executive Ermenegildo Zegna.
Marco Bizzarri, Jessica Liu, Xiao Xue, Gildo Zegna and Chen Xiaodong to Headline BoF China Summit
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the BoF China Summit is back to spark debate among global executives, Chinese fashion industry leaders and our China-based community during Shanghai Fashion Week.
Marco Bizzarri, Jessica Liu, Xiao Xue, Gildo Zegna and Chen Xiaodong to Headline BoF China Summit
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the BoF China Summit is back to spark debate among global executives, Chinese fashion industry leaders and our China-based community during Shanghai Fashion Week.
Introducing the 2018 #BoF500 Hall of Fame
The Business of Fashion is proud to unveil the 2018 Hall of Fame, our highest honour reserved for those who have demonstrated sustained achievement over the course of their careers.
Introducing the 2018 #BoF500 Hall of Fame
The Business of Fashion is proud to unveil the 2018 Hall of Fame, our highest honour reserved for those who have demonstrated sustained achievement over the course of their careers.
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
