Dubai: The concept of fashion, it seems, is to create outrageous clothes and make sure the body fits into it, especially the way some of the designs are created.
The design comes first, the human being second, so it seems. However, to serious fashion houses, the customer comes first and the designs are made to ensure customers feel comfortable - at least that's what drives the design philosophy of Ermenegildo Zegna, the leading Italian fashion house.
"The most important thing is to make sure that the customer feels good and comfortable with the dress. Our products and designs are based on constant customer feedback. We listen to them and decide on the next product line," Paolo Zegna, president of Ermenegildo Zegna Group told Gulf News on Monday.
"The customer is the king in our business. He drives the designs. We make sure he feels comfortable with the clothes."
The business of fashion might have gone through a roller-coaster ride over the last four decades, but the fundamentals have not changed much, at least for Ermenegildo Zegna, the global fashion brand and producers of one of the finest fabrics that are also used by some of the most sought-after names in the fashion world, such as Armani, Gucci and Channel.
Paolo Zegna, spoke to Gulf News on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of his company's first Global Concept Store in the Middle East designed by world renowned retail architect Peter Marino, at Dubai Mall, which was opened yesterday. The store covers 437 square metres of luxury retail.
The global financial crisis is also being felt in the luxury business, but not all are suffering so badly. "The superficial element of the market will suffer, under the current situation. However, the real luxury products will do well," Paolo Zegna says.
"This is a challenging time for Ermenegildo Zegna, and we are proud to be launching our first Global Store in the Middle East. This reinforces our position as a leader and innovator in men's global luxury."
Despite the challenges, his company has registered 3.5 per cent growth in business last year over the 2007 turnover of 847 million euros (Dh4.1 billion).
"However, 2009 will be a difficult year and we are investing a lot of resources to tighten our operations to manage the crisis better," says Zegna, who spends more than 12 hours at work, despite owning the company.
"The financial crisis has increased our workload. But I am managing." Despite the hard works he looks as fit as his fashion models appear on print, even at 53.
For a man, whose company designs some of the best menswear in the world, the most important aspect of formal wear is to keep things simple, straightforward and comfortable.
"What has changed over the last four or five decades is the quality of the materials. We have managed to improve the quality of the fabric to suit different climate change and make our customers feel more comfortable," he says.
Over the last few decades, the company has invested a lot of resources in improving the quality of the fabric to help customers feel comfortable.
One of its innovations is Intelligent Fabric and High Performance Cool Effect that makes the customer feel cooler, especially in hot and tropical climate using a material that reflects 80 per cent of direct sunlight.
"The Cool Effect helps the fabric decrease the temperature by at least 10 per cent and makes you feel cooler," Zegna says.
"This is designed for summer weather. This is one of our innovation and contribution to the industry. So, in the case of formal wear, the feel is more important than the looks."
Profile: Cut above the rest
The Ermenegildo Zegna Group was founded in 1910 in Trivero, in the Biella Alps by Ermenegildo Zegna. It currently operates 525 stores in 86 countries.
The company opened its first retail channel in the UAE in 1997, in partnership with UAE Trading Est. The Dubai Mall store is the third Ermenegildo Zegna boutique in UAE.