The high-fashion clothing company Ermenegildo Zegna (pronounced ""Zenya"") was founded in 1910 in Trivero, Italy by tailor and entrepreneur Ermenegildo Zegna. The company is often referred to simply as Zegna. Zegna quickly gained a reputation for producing fine quality wool suits, and by the end of the 1930s, the outfitter employed 1,000 workers. In 1942, the company was split into Ermenegildo Zegna and Sons, and Ermenegildo's sons Aldo (born 1920) and Angelo (born 1924) joined the company. By 1955, Ermenegildo Zegna and Sons employed 1,400 workers.
Zegna suits, long popular in Italy, were first sold in the United States in 1938, but being so expensive, they were sold in limited numbers during the Depression and war years.
Aldo and Angelo Zegna took control of the company in 1966 when their father died at the age of 74. All Zegna suits were made-to-measure until 1968 when the brothers launched a line of ready-made suits for commercial sale. The new line was produced in Zegna's factory in Novara, Italy.
Another factory was opened in Spain in 1973, and another in Greece in 1975. The Greek plant closed after two years, however, because it was deemed unprofitable. A Zegna plant opened in Switzerland in 1977, which today employs 800 workers. While many Zegna suits are factory produced, the most expensive are still made-to-measure.
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