Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep and it is from this breed that Ermenegildo Zegna sources its raw materials for suiting.

TO have a better understanding of the type of wool Ermenegildo Zegna uses, media members were brought on a farm tour of Armidale in the New South Wales region of Australia.

There, within this nucleus that hundreds of Australian wool growers call home, we had the opportunity of witnessing firsthand the process of which wool is grown.

From the history of wool growing in Australia, right up to the intricacies of shearing process and beyond, it proved to be an eye-opener. It also helped to make us appreciate all the hard work that goes into producing superfine Merino fleeces.

While it only takes one-third of a particular sheep’s wool to make an Ermenegildo Zegna suit, the effort to bring about such fine quality of wool is nothing to be taken lightly.

It should also be noted that a Zegna suit is made only of the finest parts of the Merino sheep. The fleece from the sides and shoulders are chosen for its superior quality and only these are taken into consideration when the label purchases the superfine wool it requires for suiting.

rIt is this connection – one that defines the link between the dusty farm roads and the sleek runway – that Ermenegildo Zegna has always sought to remember, as the wool produced by the wool growers build the foundation of the fashion we celebrate.

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