How Skiing Shaped Menswear Titan Gildo Zegna’s Personality and Drive
“I learned to ski before I learned to walk,” Gildo Zegna says with a big smile.
The chairman and chief executive officer of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group can’t hide his passion for skiing, a sport he believes has shaped his character and personality. “The competitiveness allows you to measure yourself with others, and if you prepare yourself mentally and physically, if you work hard, in sports and professionally, you can always raise the bar.”
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To be sure, the executive walks the talk and has applied his rigor and diligence in growing the family business into a multibillion-dollar, publicly listed group in New York that now comprises the Zegna brand, Thom Browne and the Tom Ford Fashion collections. His photos on the slopes reflect his drive and ambition to beat his own records — after all, he was a competitive skier from the age of 14 to 18 until he moved to the U.K. and the U.S. to complete his education.
His first ski teacher was Mario Ferragut, who in 1956 founded the first ski school in Bielmonte, an alpine town created in the ‘50s by Zegna’s father Angelo and uncle Aldo. Located a 90-minute drive from Milan, it is part of the Oasi Zegna and near Trivero, where the Zegna plant is based. The school is still active and is today called Scuola Sci Bielmonte Oasi Zegna.
The executive has spearheaded a new project, the Oasi Zegna Ski Racing Center, which is not connected to the Zegna company or the fashion brand, but stems solely from his own passion. The new project, perched at 1,500 meters above sea level, offers a sports center for athletic training and five slopes approved by FISI, the national federation of winter sports, which has recognized Bielmonte as a new official training site for the national teams that are part of the association.
As part of the agreement with FISI that was signed last October, the Oasi Zegna Ski Racing Center from this winter and until the 2026 season has become one of the federation’s official training sites, consolidating its position as a point of reference and destination for competitive skiing.
While the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina are not involved in this initiative, it’s safe to say that Italian athletes will also have the opportunity to train in Bielmonte.
Expressing his pride in the agreement with FISI, Zegna points out that this is part of his effort to bring the world’s best professional skiers to Bielmonte, and “to promote the values of sport and the territory.”
He pulls out photos of himself in Bielmonte with alpine skiing ace Gustav Thöni, who was part of the Italian Azure Avalanche team that won 12 medals and five world cups in the ‘70s. Bielmonte hosted sports events of the Avalanche in 1976 and 1977 and the editions of the speed skiing KL competitions in 1998 and 1999. Incidentally, a documentary on the Avalanche produced by Fandango is in theaters now and the official billboard features a photo of the Italian team shot in Bielmonte.
Other personal photos portray Zegna with Alex Vinatzer, Italian World Cup alpine ski racer, and one with his nephew Marc Rochat, who is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer specialized in slalom.
“The idea of the Oasi Zegna Ski Racing Center came after Marc asked me if we would sponsor his helmet, and following a fishing trip with Claudio Ravetto, former technical director of Italy’s ski team. We want to relaunch Bielmonte and attract young people that share our passion for skiing, relying on dedicated slopes, high quality infra-structures, technical assistance and hospitality,” Zegna says.
Within the Oasi Zegna Ski Racing Center there is the Pista Bielmonte, with three lines of special slalom with a 27 percent inclination, and Pista Moncerchio, two lines of Slalom Gigante (GS) with an inclination of 29 percent.
Last winter, in its first season, the center hosted around 1,500 athletes among the main representatives of national teams from Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France and Argentina, and athletes such as Petra Vlhová, from the Slovenian national team.
This project is leading Zegna to further develop Bielmonte’s hospitality. In addition to the Bucaneve Hotel, cozy with its wooden planks and coffered ceilings, Zegna is restructuring the La Pineta hotel, designed by architect Renato Boffa Ballaran in 1962, and now being renovated by ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, a studio that has designed the Milan headquarters of the Zegna group.
“The works should be completed by the winter of 2025,” Zegna says. “We are also recovering farmhouses and lodges in Trivero that were designed by Luigi Vietti, tapped by my father,” he adds, of the architect who created the Porto Cervo luxury resort village on the Emerald Coast of Sardinia and urban designs in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The nature surrounding the slopes, the lack of wind and the brightness of the area are particularly appreciated by the athletes, he points out. “The views are just incredible, overlooking the Po Valley, you have the pyramid-shaped Monviso mountain in front of you and the Monte Rosa massif behind you.”
Bielmonte is also a draw in the summer, he adds. “You can mountain bike, horse ride, trek, fish and go through the Bosco del Sorriso [the smile forest] created by Anna [Zegna, his sister], where you can embrace the trees, birches and beeches for positive energy, it’s very relaxing.” Oasi Zegna is also a strong influence on the designs conceived by the Zegna brand’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori, who has held shows and filmed his collections there.
The executive, who in the ’80s introduced the “Snow Day” competition open to all Zegna employees and as recently as last winter won a race in his age category, admits he “can’t wait” to open the ski season.
He regularly hits the slopes wearing the brand and its soft cashmere pullovers — natch. When competing, he also wears technical and performance ski suits by Robe di Kappa by BasicNet — the official outfitter of the U.S. ski team.
“In November, I start skiing in [the Swiss region of] Engadin and in December in Bielmonte. It helps me relax and clear my head of work worries,” he explains. No slacker, he continues to train with Ravetto to improve his technique, his style and speed. “It’s a must to prepare oneself physically, and even more so closer to 70 than 60, as is my case.”
He keeps in shape with an eye on his diet. “Food is fundamental, I eat more proteins, fruit and vegetables and less bread and flour-based food, either a first or second course, never both, and I believe it’s better to eat at lunch rather than at dinner, avoiding alcohol or wine.” To stay fit, he plays tennis and goes to the gym at least a couple of hours per week, but he admits he enjoys outdoor sports better.
“Physical fatigue is good for you, and if I don’t ski, I miss it. It helps me to be disciplined, concentrated and in control.”
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