Alessandro Sartori and Jerry Lorenzo

The worlds of luxury and streetwear continue to clash in unexpected ways, and the next unexpected collaboration is courtesy of luxury menswear maven Ermenegildo Zegna and streetwear juggernaut Fear of God. Zegna’s creative director Alessandro Sartori and Fear of God’s founder Jerry Lorenzo first met close to two years ago and realised that they were creative kindred spirits. Even though their fashion brands were worlds apart – Italian craftsmanship and American sub-culture are not exactly close bedfellows – the duo realised that they had similar ideas in dressing men.

Furthermore, men’s fashion has undoubtedly been experiencing a seismic cultural shift in the past decade, especially at the two ends of the spectrum – formal suiting and casual streetwear. It’s not uncommon to see a gentleman pair a blazer with shirt and sneakers, while streetwear began dabbling in luxurious materials such as cashmere and silk and incorporating structured silhouettes that one usually sees only in tailoring.

(Related: How Alessandro Sartori is creating luxury menswear that appeals to every generation)

Ermenegildo Zegna and Fear of God

“The collection speaks to our audience just as it does Jerry Lorenzo’s, but we believe it can also appeal to a new client, thanks to the mix of Zegna’s impeccable tailoring and Fear of God’s concept of laid-back luxury. We have worked with great balance, without our ego’s ever surpassing one another, to create a unique new wardrobe. A perfect synthesis of our two souls: clothes to wear at any time of the day in order to feel good. And this is only the beginning, as our conversation has just begun,” explains Alessandro Sartori.

“This collaboration is based on mutual respect. When you meet someone for the first time, you immediately understand how far you can go. With Alessandro we understood each other from the very first moment, and this collection naturally evolved from our conversation. I design menswear but I always keep a woman in mind; I really love the way women wear men’s clothing. I have always been fascinated by Ermenegildo Zegna clothing and this collaboration provides my clients with the opportunity to experience tailoring stitched with freedom, which I think Zegna customers will also enjoy,” affirms Jerry Lorenzo.

(Related: Why luxury brands and streetwear are frequently collaborating)

More importantly, Zegna and Fear of God used male and female models in the campaign. It’s an especially important distinction since Ermenegildo Zegna is primarily a menswear brand, but signals the shift in the usually strict gender codes.

For fans of Zegna and Fear of God, the collection are items that they can add into their wardrobe. But in the larger scheme of things, the collection is not just about the clothes themselves, but represents the creative language and social changes that the two sartorial forces believe are shaping the world. The collection will be commercially available from September 2020. Check out the gallery below for The Peak‘s favourite looks from the collection.