The idea of effortlessness in dressing up seems to come with the need to perform — looking casual comes before living casually. In the common case of adopting bare neutrals and linens as a costume, the wearer considers the need to be perceived as nonchalant in the way he leads his life before leaning into his intuition. For Zegna Summer 2026, Zegna proposes that life leads the way first — in that our daily experiences will shape, inform and influence the way we interact with the clothes on our back.
Ermenegildo Zegna’s vision of Oasi Zegna lives on more than a century later, where individuals and their clothing flourish as one — in ways that extend beyond his home at Trivero, Northern Italy into the sandy vistas of Dubai. Transformed into Villa Zegna just for the week, the Dubai Opera becomes the set for the show. The emblematic Ghaf tree was made a key detail of the set, drawing parallels between its significance as the national tree of the UAE and the inception of Oasi Zegna, where Mr. Zegna once planted trees to transform the land. Grand in the feeling it evokes, Zegna Summer 2026 opens with a performance by James Blake, underscored by his own curation.
Evocative of clothes that were worn the day before and left on the chair to be dried by the breeze before being worn again, there is a noticeable lived-in spirit the collection conveys. A testament to Zegna’s innovation and their understanding of how clothes perform in real-life settings, garments have undergone intense distressing — washed, scorched and crinkled in ways that reflect the wearer’s daily experiences. The Dubai sun has left an indelible mark on the wearer’s chosen skin.
Loose and flowy, sports jackets and blousons convey a sense of lightness, suggesting functionality in shielding from the sun rather than providing warmth. Long shirts also double up as light pieces of outerwear, allowing ease of movement. Against the rigid houndstooth and Glen plaid, a spirit of ease emerges through the use of earth-tethered neons, sun-bleached ivory and spiced umbers. These are clothes that you save for a special occasion — evident in how loafers are worn like slippers, and jackets tied around the waist with nonchalance. You wear them just about everywhere.
Crafted for the sweltering heat and the endless escapades ahead, Zegna and all of its material innovation do not create clothes that just look good suspended under ambient store lighting. This collection just circles back to the fundamental idea: you wear the clothes, do not let them wear you.
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