Ermenegildo Zegna suits aren’t just faked, but often misrepresented as well – a lot of sellers can’t tell a difference between an Ermenegildo Zegna suit and a suit made from Ermenegildo Zegna fabric. In this article, I’ll show you how to tell the difference between the two!


Read: The BEST Guide to Zegna Lines IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM (and Beyond)


Suits Made From Ermenegildo Zegna Fabric ( + Some Brand History)


An Ermenegildo Zegna logo on a building.

The story of Ermenegildo Zegna began in the late 19th century in Trivero, a small village in the Italian Alps, where a former watchmaker, Angelo Zegna, started a small wool mill. He had ten children, of which the youngest, Ermenegildo, entered into legend.

Instead of being just another cog in the wheel in his father’s business, young Ermenegildo wanted something more – he wanted to own his own wool mill which would, in his own words, produce “the most beautiful fabric in the world”. Instead of hoping and waiting for his dream to happen like many people in his shoes would, Ermenegildo wasted no time and asked ol’ Angelo for some money so that he could turn them into reality. Angelo, instead of slapping and telling Ermenegildo to shut up and do his job (as most Italian and Mediterranean dads would do), did that, which enabled Ermenegildo, together with his brothers Edoardo and Mario, to start a wool mill of his own in 1910 at the age of…18!

Using some of his father’s looms and assets at first and modern machinery from England later on, Ermenegildo Zegna’s business, Lanificio Zegna (Zegna wool mill), flourished – its fabrics, produced from wool that Ermenegildo directly sourced from countries such as Mongolia, Australia and South Africa, were highly regarded.

And they remain so today – many tailors (especially those specializing in suits) across the globe use them to make their products not just because of their quality but also because of the prestige they brings to their products. Those suits will always have a “Cloth Ermenegildo Zegna” logo on the inner side of the jacket which will look similar to those seen in the pictures below (there’s hundreds of variants depending on the age and type of fabric). If the suit is brand new, there’ll usually be one on the top of one of the sleeves (usually left) as well.

A "Cloth Ermenegildo Zegna" logo.

The quality of suits that’re made from Ermenegildo Zegna fabrics depends on their manufacturersuits that’re made by reputable companies (Sartoria Partenopea, Caruso, Belvest etc.) and tailors are fully canvassed, very well made (some are even better made than their Ermenegildo Zegna counterparts) and will, if you take good care of them, last you for decades whereas those from relatively obscure brands (in other words, the majority that you’ll see) are fused (with poor fusing) and, more often that not, have horrible designs and even worse fits.

A "Cloth Ermenegildo Zegna" logo.

Read: How to Spot A GENUINE Zegna Suit


Suits Made by Ermenegildo Zegna


An Ermenegildo Zegna logo.

Following the Second World War Ermenegildo’s two sons, Aldo and Angelo, took over the reins in 1966 when he, having realized his dream of producing “the most beautiful fabric in the world”, died. As ambitious as their father was, the brothers renamed the company to Ermenegildo Zegna and expanded its scope by opening a plant in Novara where, instead of fabrics, finished garments like trousers jackets and suits were produced. Due to their quality and simple yet elegant designs, they quickly became beloved by many and, decades later, they still are.

A Z Zegna logo.

The quality of construction of an Ermenegildo Zegna suit depends on the line it belongs to – suits from Z Zegna and Zegna Soft line are fused and of mediocre quality (the quality of the fusing and the fabrics they are made of is much better than Emporio Armani’s and Hugo Boss’), while those from the main (Ermenegildo) Zegna) and premium (Zegna Premium) lines is very good because they’re fully canvassed and made from some the finest wools available (especially the latter). In the picture below, you can see me wearing a 34 year old Ermenegildo Zegna sports jacket that still looks great!

Leon Papo wearing an Ermenegildo Zegna sports coat.

Read: The MOST COMPREHENSIVE Guide to Corneliani Lines IN THE UNIVERSE


Some Parting Words


So there you have it, everything you need you know how to tell a difference BETWEEN an ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA SUIT and a SUIT MADE FROM ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA FABRIC. As you can see, it’s much less difficult that you thought!

In case you’d like to know more about Ermenegildo Zegna lines and how to tell the difference between a fake and a genuine Ermenegildo Zegna suit, make sure to check their respective articles.

Before we say goodbye (for now), I’ll answer some frequently asked questions if you have some others that I didn’t mention (or if something is unclear), let me know in the comment section and on Instagram by leaving a comment on my last photo and I’ll answer as best as I am able.

Leon Papo wearing an Ermenegildo Zegna blazer.

Read: The DEFINITE Guide to ALL Canali Lines




The answer to that question depends on the manufacturer – suits that’re made by reputable companies and tailors are usually very well made (some even better that those from Ermenegildo Zegna, believe it or not) and worth buying (if you’re on a hunt for one) whereas those from relatively obscure brands usually aren’t.

An Ermenegildo Zegna store.



Yes, some suits with a ” Cloth Ermenegildo Zegna” logo are fake – especially those coming from Asia.

An Ermenegildo Zegna ad.

Thank you for reading. If you’ve liked this article and want to see more like them, make sure you bookmark this site and to follow me on Instagram!

Until next time.

Your man,

-Leon

This Post Has 8 Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.