If you’ve been watching the luxury market lately, you know it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. But for the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, October 2025 turned out to be the month where the "quiet luxury" pioneer finally proved that its long-term gamble is paying off.
Look. Most people see luxury earnings and think it’s just about who sold the most handbags. It’s not. For Zegna, the Zegna news October 2025 cycle was dominated by a massive Q3 revenue report released on October 23, and honestly, the numbers tell a story that's way more interesting than just "sales are up."
The group posted revenues of €1.33 billion for the first nine months of 2025. In the third quarter alone, they hit €398.2 million. That’s a 3.6% organic growth. Is it a blowout? No. But it is an acceleration. And in this economy, "acceleration" is the word every CEO wants to whisper in their sleep.
📖 Related: Gold and Silver Price Per Ounce: What Really Drives These Record Highs
Why the DTC Pivot is the Real Story
Gildo Zegna has been beating the drum for the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) model for years. In October, we saw the receipts.
Group DTC revenues jumped 9.1% organically in Q3. Basically, they are cutting out the middleman. They want to know exactly who you are when you walk into a boutique in Milan or New York. By the end of September, DTC accounted for a staggering 82% of the group's total revenue.
- ZEGNA Brand: Up 5.6% organically in Q3.
- Thom Browne: Finally seeing some light with a 10% organic jump in DTC.
- Tom Ford Fashion: The star pupil, posting a 16.4% organic increase in DTC.
You've probably noticed that wholesale is shrinking. That’s intentional. They are pulling back from multi-brand stores to keep their "iconic products" under tighter control. It’s a classic power move. They’d rather sell ten jackets in their own store than fifty at a discount in a department store.
The "Vellus Aureum" and Alessandro Sartori's Vision
While the suits in the boardroom were talking about EBIT margins, the creative world was still buzzing about Alessandro Sartori. In October, the Fall/Winter 2025 collections—which Sartori built around the Vellus Aureum wool—were hitting their stride in stores.
This isn't just "nice wool." We're talking 12 to 13 microns. For context, a human hair is about 50 microns. It’s thinner than baby cashmere. Sartori is basically a mad scientist in a tailor's apron. He’s been experimenting with mixing paper cellulose with 14-micron cashmere. He literally compared it to "cooking" in a recent interview. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But that willingness to fail is why Zegna feels so much more authentic than other "lifestyle" brands right now.
The Torino suit, fronted by Mads Mikkelsen in the latest campaign, has become the symbol of this era. It’s slouchy. It’s elegant. It doesn't look like you're trying too hard, which is exactly the vibe they're selling.
The Leadership Shake-up Nobody Expected
Here is the bit that actually caught people off guard. On the heels of the October revenue report, the group announced a major leadership transition.
Starting January 1, 2026, Gildo Zegna is moving to the role of Group Executive Chairman. The big seat? That’s going to Gianluca Tagliabue, the current CFO and COO.
It’s a massive shift. Gildo has been the face of the company forever. But Tagliabue is the guy who steered the ship through the NYSE listing and the Tom Ford acquisition. It signals that Zegna is moving from a "family-run" feel to a "global luxury powerhouse" structure.
China, America, and the Geographic Split
It wasn't all champagne and cashmere in October. The Greater China Region (GCR) is still a headache. While it showed "slightly improved sequential performance," they still ended up closing four stores there during the quarter.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) are carrying the weight. The Americas saw double-digit organic growth. Even with price increases implemented in August 2025 to offset currency issues, American shoppers didn't blink. They wanted the $3,000 "Oasi Cashmere" overshirts, and they bought them.
What This Means for You
If you're an investor or just a fan of the brand, here is the takeaway from the October 2025 updates:
- Focus on DTC: If you see a Zegna wholesale section shrinking in your local luxury mall, don't worry. They're likely opening a flagship nearby.
- The Tom Ford Factor: Under Haider Ackermann’s creative influence (which started showing its face earlier in the year), Tom Ford Fashion is becoming a growth engine for the group, not just a side project.
- Sustainability is a Metric, Not a Slogan: They are on track to have 50% of their raw materials traceable by 2026. This matters because luxury consumers in 2025 actually care where the wool came from.
The most important thing to watch next? Keep an eye on the Winter 2026 collection debut in January. Sartori has been working on it since March 2025, and it’s rumored to feature that new "cashmere and paper" fabric he’s been obsessing over.
✨ Don't miss: How Much Does a US Dollar Weigh (and Why It Actually Matters)
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, look into the "Accademia dei Maestri" initiative they've been scaling. It’s their way of ensuring the next generation of tailors actually exists. Without them, all this fancy wool is just expensive fuzz.