ZEGNA makes history in Dubai with its first show outside Italy

This week, history was made at Dubai Opera. For the first time in its 115-year history, ZEGNA staged a runway show beyond Italian soil — choosing the UAE as its destination. The iconic venue was transformed into Villa Zegna, setting the tone for a collection that celebrated the brand’s craftsmanship while acknowledging the region’s growing influence in the global fashion landscape.

Under the creative direction of Alessandro Sartori, the Oasis collection explored the meeting point between nature, lived experience, and the evolution of clothing. The show unfolded against a striking visual and sonic backdrop — a fusion of the Zegna family’s ancestral home in Trivero and the golden sandscapes of the desert. The live score, curated and performed by musician James Blake, brought another layer of intimacy to an already atmospheric presentation.

The garments themselves told a story shaped by texture and time. Many pieces had been deliberately washed and crinkled to reflect wear — as if the sun and heat of the desert had left a lasting imprint. Sartori said the collection was inspired by “a life lived intensely,” recalling an image that stuck with him during research: a chair draped with casually discarded clothes, ready to be worn again the next day. “That’s what we are after,” he explained. “As designers, we do half of the work: the rest happens when clients interpret pieces day by day.”

The silhouettes were relaxed and unstructured, staying true to ZEGNA’s tradition of fine tailoring while reimagining it through a softer, more lived-in lens. Jackets were as light as shirts, with even the iconic Il Conte coat appearing in a roomier, boxier cut. Double-layer Nehru shirts and long shirts functioned as outerwear, while tailored shorts were layered beneath fluid coats and close-fitting blousons. Leather outerwear appeared featherlight; pajama stripes ran across weightless suiting. Blazers were stripped of stiffness, and low two-button closures gave them a casual elegance. Field jackets, knit anoraks, and slouchy cardigan blazers expanded the vocabulary of menswear silhouettes.

Colour played a quiet but evocative role: neutral earth tones — bianco Oasi, corda, mastice — were warmed by notes of olio, cognac, and felce, and punctuated with bolder shades of ciclamino, magnolia, and barolo. Accessories maintained the ease of the collection: soft moccasins, slipper-like shoes, oversized sunglasses and generously proportioned bags completed the looks.

Fabrics were central to the story. ZEGNA’s reputation for textile innovation was on full display, with a mix of summer Shetland wool, ultralight poplins in silk and cotton blends, jacquards, hand-spun silks, sanded hemp, and Oasi Lino — a linen that underlines the brand’s commitment to traceable, responsibly sourced materials. The garments weren’t just made to look natural; they were designed to respond to the natural world.

At the heart of the show was the concept of Oasi Zegna — a real place in northern Italy, created by founder Ermenegildo Zegna in the early 20th century as a model for environmental and social responsibility. Today, that legacy continues not just in conservation efforts but in how the brand designs. For Sartori, clothing is not just worn; it’s shaped by movement, climate, and time. “There is a culture of dressing, a proper and insouciant manner to it,” he said. “That captures a peculiar Italian timbre that I want to keep as our signature.”

By choosing Dubai for its first international show, ZEGNA didn’t just make a logistical leap — it acknowledged a broader shift. As the Middle East increasingly asserts its place in the fashion conversation, Oasis marked a moment of cross-cultural dialogue, where tradition met modernity, and garments were shaped as much by journey as by design.