Giovanni Bonotto

Giovanni Bonotto is the creative director of the large family-run textile firm founded in 1912, currently run by the fourth generation, it has been part of the Ermenegildo Zegna group since 2016. A real gem of creativity and productive expertise: today a vertical industry with a complete cycle, with several production sites and more than two hundred master craftsmen employed, promoting a new way of thinking and producing, based on the concept of a “Slow Factory”. It is a modern vision of work and business, combined with age-old technologies and creative design that is always innovative, and based on a love for contemporary art.

The concept of the “slow factory” represents the company’s declaration and stance against standardisation and low-cost mass production. None of the production is entrusted to automated mechanisms, but rather old, manually operated machines. The company places great importance on working with older discarded looms precisely because they have not been created to maximise output but rather to maximise the quality of the product, despite a slower production time. This process makes luxury synonymous to hand-operated work and deep technical knowledge, it does not fight against length of production time but rather welcomes the fine quality that this length provides. The contemporary designs of the fabrics are based on Bonotto’s deep knowledge of centennial techniques and designs.

The Artisan: a crafted tea room Exhibition

Italy and Japan: Marvellous Liaisons Exhibition