Zegna’s Alessandro Sartori Discusses New Fragrance Launch, Mads Mikkelsen Campaign

MILAN — It’s a busy week for Zegna, following the announcement of staging its next show in Los Angeles on June 5 with the official launch of an olfactory collection of six fragrances.

Named “Memorie,” or “Memories” in English, the range was developed with Give Back Beauty, which in 2023 took over the Zegna beauty license, previously held by The Estée Lauder Cos.

Zegna’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori sat down with WWD to discuss the new project, which is deeply intertwined with the roots of the company established in 1910 and saw the involvement of longtime friend of the house and actor Mads Mikkelsen as the face of the campaign.

Written and directed by Roman Coppola, the five-minute film translates the concept of the collection, which was inspired by the defining moments in founder Ermenegildo Zegna’s life, from the inkwell with which he shaped his ideas to the Alpine road and natural landscapes informing his vision. 

“We’ve been working on this fragrance collection for more than two years,” said Sartori, underscoring how this launch follows a test in the category unveiled last summer at Zegna’s spring 2026 show in Dubai. The brand hosted around 200 top clients, who had the opportunity to preorder some of the looks from the collection and the limited-edition of 300 flacons of “Il Conte” perfume at 3,000 euros each.

The new scent collection has a different positioning, with each retailing at $349 for a 100-ml size, and 150-ml refills priced at $249.

“[Fragrance] is a dimension that we were missing and which we absolutely needed because the olfactory experience completes the wardrobe, the silhouette and the life of the person we dress,” Sartori said. It was extremely important to take this step and take it well. We have put so much energy and resources into it….It was thought as a team effort, as important as the development of a collection.”

For Sartori, there were no differences in the two creative approaches. The approach is one of a storyteller,” he said. “When we create our clothes, we conceive them to last and the same goes for fragrances. Even when we add other scents to the collection, they will be [coherent] with these ones.”

Sartori said the biggest challenge was to have fragrances that didn’t change over time. To ensure this technical aspect, he enlisted master perfumers, including Dominique Ropion, Fabrice Pellegrin and Quentin Bisch, who created the different olfactory chapters by offering a variety of notes, spanning from leathery amber to gourmand woods.

Fragrances include “Il Calamaio,” or “Inkwell,” evoking the moment ideas take shape on paper with a blend of ink and oud accords; “Il Lanificio,” or “Wool Mill,” nodding to the beating heart of the Zegna firm with a mix of vanilla Tahitensis, suede accord and sandalwood; “A Trivero,” or “In Trivero,” celebrating the small town in Italy’s Piedmont region where everything started with a combination of lavender, Damascena rose and myrrh; “Il Sottobosco,” or “Undergrowth,” a woody spicy scent paying tribute to the brand’s connection to nature with notes such as pink pepper, carrot seeds and patchouli, and “La Panoramica,” or “Panoramic Road,” a fresh fougère perfume evoking the scenic road across Oasi Zegna via pine needles, lavender and vetiver notes.

These add to Sartori’s personal favorite, named “Saga del Piemonte,” or “Tale of Piedmont,” a woody gourmand fragrance hinged on coffee accord, Ratafia liqueur and cedarwood, among others. “It reminds me of certain moments spent with my family in winter, playing cards….It has some unconventional elements and its warmth kind of suits me,” he said. 

Each fragrance comes in a refillable glass bottle marked by soft gradient finishes inspired by its emotional landscape, sealed with an ash-wood cap crowned by the Zegna family crest. 

The collection will launch first in the U.K. and Middle Eastern exclusive at Harrods and Dubai Mall, respectively, as well as selected Zegna stores and its e-commerce in Europe on Thursday, to be followed by a U.S. rollout on Tuesday.

That same day, the dedicated campaign will also be revealed on the brand’s channels. Set within Casa Zegna, the family’s historic home in Oasi Zegna, the short film unfolds as a journey through the six chapters. 

Sartori enthused about the involvement and interpretation of Mikkelsen, who has fronted many Zegna campaigns in the past, attended its shows front row and even walked the Zegna catwalk. “He’s not just a testimonial, he’s a friend of the family….It wouldn’t have been the same with another face,” said Sartori. 

The designer recalled how back in 2016 he took a trip to Los Angeles and defined the brand’s celebrity strategy, aligning with names genuinely drawn to the brand and building long-term relationships with them. Ditto for Coppola, whom Sartori defined as “a member of this family.”

“When we sat down to talk about this project, after an hour of chatting with a glass of wine, he was talking about this [project as it] was his own film and added pieces to the story. Working with this approach and feeling is extremely important for us,” Sartori said.

In a full-circle moment, Sartori will return to Los Angeles to hold Zegna’s spring 2027 show on June 5. The show will be part of a weeklong program of curated experiences, designed to engage top clients, friends of the brand and select members of the international press. Villa Zegna, the brand’s invitation-only temporary private club, will open right after the show and remain in Los Angeles for a few days. Inspired by the original home of founder Ermenegildo Zegna, the concept was formerly staged also in Shanghai and New York.

The move to Los Angeles comes as the group is further turning its attention to the U.S., with the first Salotto Zegna in New York opening in the first quarter of 2027 within the brand’s store at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, following into the steps of units previously opened in Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing.

In 2025, revenues at the Zegna brand totaled 1.18 billion euros, up 1.5 percent versus 2024. 

Publicly traded in New York, the Zegna group also includes Tom Ford Fashion and Thom Browne, which will stage a runway show in Milan on June 22 for the first time. As reported, 2025 revenues of the group showed organic growth of 1.1 percent to 1.91 billion euros, driven by the DTC channel at the Zegna brand. In the Americas, group sales rose 7.9 percent to 566.1 million euros, accounting for 30 percent of the total. 

As for Give Back Beauty, or GBB, Zegna is only one of the luxury licenses included in its portfolio, along with Elie Saab, Chopard and Maybach. A prestige and lifestyle division comprises those for Tommy Hilfiger, Philipp Plein, Mercedes-Benz and Iceberg, along with Trussardi and Laura Biagiotti that were integrated last year, when GBB inked an agreement with Italian giant Angelini Industries to take over its beauty division AB Parfums SpA, formerly known as Angelini Beauty.

GBB also has a Los Angeles-centric indie and talent division that acts as an incubator for celebrity-backed brands, such as the Florence by Mills brand by actress Millie Bobby Brown and Blake Lively’s hair care line Blake Brown. In addition, it serves as a strategic and distribution partner for other perfume and beauty labels, including Dolce & Gabbana and Billie Eilish.