By David Sandoval, MBA in International Luxury Brand Management 2014-2015, Colombia
One of the highlights of our trip to Italy, was definitely the visit to Ermenegildo Zegna. A 90 minutes drive to the countryside, driving up to a charming Italian town called Trivero. We were warmly welcomed, as custom, by Benedetta Zegna, the Talent Development Director and member of the Zegna family.
The Italian family-owned company values were palpable through every single detail and the presentations during the whole day were charged with lots of current news of their business, from the recent creation of a Digital Department, directed by the youngest generation of the family, to the details of their made to measure CRM program and the new vision of Zegna, targeting millenials, which is key for the company to stay relevant for this group of growing customers.
Efforts in digital, customized after sales, ultra luxurious VIC program, eyes on the millenials and a new Zegna generation coming into the company; all of these initiatives point to the company’s commitment to innovation and drive to remain current in the market today. These changes are definitely interesting to observe, as they are forcing the evolution of the company, but always in a positive direction. They also reveal a company who is thinking with regards to long-term strategies, rather than the short term future.
Another interesting part of the day was the factory visit, which was fundamental for those of us who are interested in fashion, to comprehend all manufacture processes and be able to think about where things can be improved and how. A detailed accompanied tour through the factory where Zegna is developing all its fabrics allowed us to see the extreme attention to the different steps in developing a fabric. Numerous quality controls, and more importantly, a mix of industrial and artisanal methods showed the know-how and expertise on fabrics of this highly respected brand.
A brief visit to Casa Zegna, the place where they hold their archives, was the final experience of the day, where we had the honor to see all the history of the brand, the improvement that Zegna brought to Trivero, the prizes in fabric making and other important achievements. The class was also able to view a rich and organized notebook from Aldo Zegna on the different methods he used over time to develop hundreds and hundreds of fabrics for the brand.
ESSEC is proud to have maintained a strong relationship with Zegna for almost a decade now. Definitely an inspiring visit for us all.
