Alessandro Sartori

WHAT DO YOU DO? I've been working for Zegna in Milan, Italy, on and off for 14 years. And since 2002, I've been designing the Z Zegna line, overseeing both accessories and menswear.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Z ZEGNA AND ZEGNA? We like to say that Z Zegna is for a younger, fashion-conscious guy with a strong mentality. He likes his own style, but he's looking for a certain kind of design. Zegna is perhaps more traditional. It is a guy that you cannot brand.

BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT FASHION? No, we design the fabrics too. Because Zegna is also a textile manufacturer, 95% of the fabrics are exclusive to us. We are obsessed with textiles! Everything has a modern twist. We'll take a traditional fabric like wool and treat it with that twist.

NEXT STEPS? We showed the line for the first time on the runway in New York City last month. We chose the Cunard building on Broadway, because in 1938 the founder of this company traveled to and from the U.S. on Cunard. We wanted to do something very strong for our first show ever.

YOUR FAVORITE LOOK? I like the look of a tight body with big trousers. It's a bit like the 1940s.