As luxury brands search for new ways to engage top clients, Ermenegildo Zegna Group is betting on hospitality and immersive experiences.
This past weekend, Zegna landed in Los Angeles with the latest edition of Villa Zegna, transforming Chateau Marmont into a private Italian summer residence for about 240 customers, celebrities and friends of the house following Alessandro Sartori’s men’s spring 2027 runway show on the Malibu Pier on Friday evening. The experience was inspired by “La Villeggiatura,” the Italian tradition of relocating one’s life and family for a holiday away from home.
Launched in 2024, the invitation-only Villa Zegna has previously traveled to Shanghai, New York, Dubai, Miami and Milan.
In L.A., the brand took over six bungalows at the storied hotel. Guests were first shown a short film featuring archival family footage and scenes from Oasi Zegna, the natural preserve founded by the company’s namesake in northern Italy, before moving through a series of themed rooms dedicated to travel, sport, leisure and style. An Italian newsstand stocked vintage editions of Top, the cultural magazine published by Zegna from 1967 to 1980, while record players spun Italian soundtracks and a garden bar served aperitivo-style drinks.
Exclusive merchandise and made-to-order pieces from the men’s spring 2027 runway collection were available only to invited guests, about half of whom were American, with the remainder coming largely from Europe and Latin America, according to Zegna.
“If you ask me, what business are you in, I think that more and more we are leading in the hospitality business, even though we don’t run any hotel or any restaurant,” said Gildo Zegna, the group’s executive chairman. “At the end that is what the customer wants. It’s experience, it’s emotion and it’s fashion, and it’s innovation.”
Zegna transformed six bungalows at Chateau Marmont into an immersive Italian summer retreat.
Courtesy of Zegna
The executive tied the L.A. event to the company’s retail ambitions on the West Coast, particularly California.
“We are here for business too,” he said. “We are opening new stores. We just opened Scottsdale for Zegna, we’re going to open San Diego for Zegna within the next few months. We are opening a major store of Tom Ford in South Coast Plaza. We have three Thom Browne stores. California is becoming more and more an important part of the business.”
He noted that the increasingly nomadic lifestyles of affluent consumers present a key opportunity in the U.S., where wealthy shoppers often maintain multiple residences and wardrobes.
“The good thing about America is that it’s a fluid country,” he said. “Many have multiple residences, so they might buy for different homes. They might buy different items for different homes.”
Villa Zegna also represents a significant investment for the group. To bring the concept to life, Zegna relocated a large team from Italy, including tailors, stylists, brand ambassadors and creative staff.
“This event is very costly, because we did it at the top,” Zegna said. “We brought half of the workforce. You can’t imagine, from tailors to creative people.”
Zegna transformed six bungalows at Chateau Marmont into an immersive Italian summer retreat.
Courtesy of Zegna
The effort reflects the group’s increasing emphasis on service and personalization, with made-to-order and personalized products now accounting for more than 20 percent of the business, according to Zegna.
“We can really personalize pieces from head to toe,” he said.
Looking ahead, Zegna said he remains “surely positive” on the U.S. and Europe and more encouraged by China than he was a year ago, though geopolitical tensions, tariffs and foreign-exchange volatility remain concerns.
His overall assessment: “Moderately positive. Optimistic is too much.”
