Zegna Transformed the Dubai Opera Into an Italian Villa for Men’s Spring 2026

This week, the temperature in Dubai hovered at around 105 degrees, except that it felt hotter. The UV Index was an understated “high,” and you were strongly advised to use sun protection at all times. Right in the middle of town, however, there was a cool, stylish oasis of calm.

Getting a jump-start on the men’s shows in Milan, Zegna designer Alessandro Sartori decamped to Dubai to stage a beautifully layered collection. He and his team transformed the Dubai Opera into Villa Zegna, a recreation of the Zegna family’s historical home west of Milan; the company was founded there over a century ago, in what is now known as Oasi Zegna, a protected public park of about 100 square kilometers. Sartori traveled with about 80 members of his staff—tailors, designers, technicians—two weeks prior to the show to absorb local influences and ensure that the collection organically combined the label’s heritage with the modernism of Dubai, a city that Sartori believes is the new center of the world. “We thought it was important to feel the place and see the location rather than just bring the clothes from Milan,” he said. “Everything needed to be connected.”

The results were remarkable. There was everything from lightweight leather jackets to marinière tops to roomy trousers and shorts in earthy tones; wrinkled suits, as easy to wear as a favorite pair of pajamas, were a standout. They were the kind of clothes that could work just as well in the Gulf desert as on the Italian Riviera—or frankly, on the private plane from one to the other. The idea, explained Sartori after the show, was to build a wardrobe that could last for years, and that could be combined with previous collections as well as those that were yet to come. “Having something that lasts is the true meaning of luxury today,” he said. Here, a few of our favorite moments.