OASI ZEGNA FROM MILAN TO THE WORLD

Milan, November 24th 2023 - ZEGNA is pleased to announce that it is the official partner of the City of Milan for the redesign and care of the flowerbeds in Piazza Duomo for the next three years. ZEGNA has worked with a group of botanical and landscape experts to bring some of the iconic elements of Oasi Zegna's vegetation to Milan, while respecting biodiversity and the ecosystem. Aim of this project is to create a green space in the center of the city, inspired by the philosophy of environmental responsibility of Oasi Zegna. A 100km2 territory located in the Biellese Alps in Piedmont, designed and created by Ermenegildo Zegna at the beginning of the past century, as a unique model of social and environmental awareness. In the late 1920s, the founder initiated an unprecedented reforestation project planting over 500,000 conifers and creating a road connecting the two sides of the mountain which thus became accessible and alive for all. A responsibility towards the community and the territory has been a driving principle since the inception of the company and Oasi Zegna symbolizes and materializes it all: a unique example of environmental awareness, a monument to quality of life through harmony between man and nature and a source of inspiration for future generations.

Piazza Duomo, representative location of the entire City of Milan, and Italy itself, and the willingness to redesign the flowerbeds it hosts, represent a unique opportunity to create a space that while fully respecting the monumental, symbolic and aesthetic needs of the space, promotes a greater connection between citizens and nature. This ambitious project draws inspiration from Dino Buzzati's 1957 painting, 'Piazza del Duomo di Milano', from which emerges a stimulating dialogue between the city and nature, aiming to promote the latter's fundamental role by reflecting on contemporary instances of sustainability.

The flowerbeds will be characterised by a permanent structure consisting of four groves of uneven-aged shrub camphor, evergreen and leafy plants that will represent the mature elements of an optimised ecosystem. Among these groves, there will also be: Rhododendrons from autumn to late spring and Philadelphus from the end of Rhododendron flowering. 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 today's flowerbeds will be given a new lease of life and will be kept in the place most suited to their needs.
The new ZEGNA Duomo flowerbeds will be officially donated to the City on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2024. This will mark the beginning of a project that aims to create new Oasi Zegna around the world to enrich urban and non landscapes with biodiversity and educational significance. The project aims to convey the value and urgency of respect for the Earth and nature, as well as the importance that urban green spaces can bring people closer to natural ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity and social responsibility, concepts that are fundamental to Oasi Zegna.

A special thanks to the City of Milan for having embraced the essence of the project and deeply believed in ZEGNA’s mission.