A few weeks ago, Scuderia Ferrari’s racer, Carlos Sainz, won the Grand Prix 2023 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. But this was not the only major event happening in the island country. Italian textile and menswear authority Zegna also launched its collaboration with Los Angeles-based cashmere brand, The Elder Statesman, at Singapore’s monumental Fullerton hotel to add to the buzz of the F1 weekend.
The Fullerton hotel’s terrace — one of the best vantage points to the racing track in the country — hosted select press, tastemakers, and celebrities like actor and model Mario Maurer, actor Mike Angelo and singer Nathan Hartono at the launch of this colourful, cool and zany collection.Tom Bray managed to make his tracks pop, even between the sound of Formula 1 car engines.
The viewing party included Edoardo Zegna, the fourth generation of the family, and chief marketing, digital, and sustainability head at Zegna; and finally the man responsible for all the action: Alessandro Sartori, the brand’s artistic director.
Milan via Los Angeles
The entryway to the viewing party was lined with samples of Zegna’s cashmere yarn, obtained from Mongolian sheep. Three neon-lit rooms showcased the entirety of Zegna x The Elder Statesman’s (TES) collection. Made entirely in cashmere, the collection features button-down plaid shirts, bomber jackets, turtlenecks, the softest shawls, shackets, and tailored trousers.
Accessories like bucket and baseball hats are a nice addition. While the ramp showed monotone looks, the bright tones are complimentary even in a mixed way. The entire collection feels gender-fluid, given the innovative hues such as lilac, brick, bacca red, dew-drop green, aurora yellow, and vicuna. These shades make the collection resemble an LA sunset, a nice subtle nod to The Elder Statesman’s place of origin.
Alessandro was introduced to Greg Chait, founder of TES, via a friend. Planned and executed over 2.5 years, their collaboration is the perfect amalgamation of Zegna’s tailoring prowess in understated machismo, with TES’s colour theory expertise. Alessandro has a very clear vision for collaborations, “For partnerships to work, first, the values have to match”. They both recognise that great pieces begin with great yarns. Cashmere can also be easily recycled, this ensures Zegna stays true to its sustainability practices.
On Indian shores
CIAO ALESSANDRO
For our chat, Alessandro, 56, is dressed in all black. A cashmere high-neck knit, a jacket, and trousers, the cut of which should be in fashion textbooks for posterity. “Do you mind if I walk around while answering?”, he asks earnestly. We do not. His energy is not frenzied or pacy, but passionate.
From his suite, the entire cityscape of Singapore can be viewed: on one side the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel, the Singapore Eye, and an eagle’s eye view of the racing track. The entire city is reverberating with the power of Formula 1’s formidable machines. “Personally, I am very passionate about cars and love this kind of energy and noise. It’s a natural association then to host the viewing party, or dress the drivers as we have Lewis Hamilton in the past,” he says.
A big fan of the F1, Alessandro feels F1 has moved out from the motorheads niche and now draws audiences of all ages and countries. He is quick to clear that his heart thought belongs to the Milanese Ferraris; drivers whose raw energy and horsepower match that of Zegna’s zeal for fine tailoring and innovative textiles.
Only one question remains, if he could design one of the Formula 1 cars, which one would it be? He says, “Without a doubt, the Ferrari GTO. It is perhaps the most perfect car for everyone and everywhere, and I’d love to give it my signature, and make it in a navy blue.”
