The Italian menswear group will design the flowerbeds in Milan's central Piazza Duomo as part of a project aiming to bring Oasi Zegna around the world.
A view at the Oasi Zegna. COURTESY OF ZEGNA
The Italian menswear group said on Friday it has become the official partner of the City of Milan for the design and care of the flowerbeds in Piazza Duomo for the next three years. The new Zegna Duomo flowerbeds will be donated to the city during the international furniture and design trade show Salone del Mobile next year, running April 16 to 21.
Zegna has worked with botanical and landscape experts to bring some of the signature elements of the Oasi’s vegetation to Milan, while respecting its biodiversity and the ecosystem. The goal of the project is to create a green space in the square facing the Gothic cathedral that will reflect the Oasi’s concept of environmental responsibility.
It is only the beginning of a comprehensive program that will see the realization of new Oasi Zegna extensions around the world.
In Milan, the flowerbeds will consist of four groves of uneven-aged shrub camphor, evergreen and leafy plants. Among these groves, from fall to late spring there will also be rhododendrons — signature plants at the Oasi Zegna — and philadelphus. This will ensure a respect for the biodiversity and seasonality of the plants, which will be replanted in Oasi Zegna at the end of the cycle.
The plants in the existing and current flowerbeds will be kept in the place most suited to their needs. Zegna succeeds global coffee giant Starbucks, which planted palm trees in Piazza Duomo in 2017 as part of a contract it won to restyle the green spaces surrounding the equestrian monument to former King Victor Emmanuel II.
The Oasi Zegna is a territory spanning more than 62 miles designed and created by founder Ermenegildo Zegna in the mountains of Northern Italy, Piedmont, around Trivero where the company is based. In the late 1920s, he planted 500,000 pine trees, created the road 232 connecting the two sides of the mountain and made them accessible for all.
Located a 90-minute drive from Milan, the Oasi offers views of the Alps, from the Monviso pyramid-shaped mountain to the Monte Rosa massif. The company, which is now led by Gildo Zegna, third generation of the family, as chairman and chief executive officer, is still inspired by its founder and his values, as he built a community around his wool mill and developed a new kind of ethical entrepreneurship.
The Oasi Zegna, its colors and mood, are also a source of inspiration for artistic director Alessandro Sartori, who has been developing the sustainable Oasi Cashmere and staged some shows at the location.