Zegna’s exclusive new perfume is legacy in a bottle

What would it be like to borrow the perspective of a visionary creative? To instantly slip into their world with just the simplest gesture? Zegna’s latest perfume, Il Conte, is an attempt to do just that. It is ‘an inheritance of vision’, in the words of the brand, a fragrance that recreates the moment Ermenegildo Zegna, who established his namesake company in 1910, would step through the threshold of his office to begin work on the menswear house we know today – a brand synonymous with timeless style, innovative fabric production, impeccable tailoring and elegant silhouettes.

A blend of leather accord, vanilla infusion and benzoin resinoid, Il Conte draws inspiration from various elements of the space, which is still preserved inside Zegna’s Alpine mansion, located in the Piedmont region of Italy. There is the musk of the leather-bound books along polished oak shelves; the warm animal scent of wool piled next to his desk; and the cool mountain air that flowed through the window, its uplifting freshness tinged with the warm, balsamic notes of trees.

For Zegna, Il Conte is an exercise in reconstructing a physical space through scent and, more than that, an attempt to recreate the energy that once pulsed through it – the steady determination and exhilarating creativity of a man in the process of creating an iconic fashion brand.

Achieving that is no easy feat, and the brand has kept the run of Il Conte exclusively small, with only 300 bottles in existence, none of which can be purchased in store. Instead, the fragrance can only be experienced at the brand’s invite-only Villa Zegna spaces, immersive environments that temporarily open around the world to host intimate gatherings and foster inspiring, creative conversations among guests.

Those lucky enough to experience Il Conte in person will find the fragrance encased in a sculptural bottle, handblown by Murano artisans into layers of amber and earth-tone glass that echo the warm, natural palette of the landscape around the Zegna mansion.

Each bottle is topped with an ash-wood cap that likewise evokes the region’s forested landscape and is also emblazoned with the Zegna crest. On the bottom of each bottle, customers can tap their phone to access the digital certificate of ownership necessary for refills – a reflection of the brand’s belief that real luxury is designed to endure.

zegna.com