My dear fashionistas, welcome to another fashion adventure on the Mr.M blog! There’s something special when luxury Italian fashion meets ancient Korean architecture. When I stood in front of the painted roofs of Cangdeokgung, one of the best-preserved palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, I realized that the ZEGNA fashion pieces I wear share the same philosophy with the place I am in, which is a true dedication to craftsmanship, a deep respect for tradition, and a pursuit of perfection that transcends generations.

This story is about that connection. About brands that are not just manufacturers of clothes, watches or shoes, but custodians of skills that are passed down through generations, workshops and centuries. About a place that survived wars and numerous fires, but never lost its essence.

Cangdeokgung: Palace of Perfect Virtue in Seoul

Cangdeokgung, whose name literally means “Palace of Shining Virtue”, was built in 1405 by order of King Taejong, the third ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. This was not the main royal palace, Gyeongbokgung carried that honor, but it was Cangdeokgung that became the favorite residence of Korean monarchs for almost 270 years. The reason for this lies in the unique construction philosophy that makes this palace special.

While other palaces were built according to strict geometric principles, adapting the terrain to the architecture, Cangdeokgung was created with the opposite approach. The builders respected the natural topography of the terrain, placing the buildings to blend in with the hills, forests and streams. This organic approach, inspired by the Korean principles of Pungsu geomancy, has created spaces that function fully in harmony with nature.

In 1997, UNESCO listed the Cangdeokgung complex as a World Heritage Site, citing it as an “outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design” where the buildings are “integrated and harmonized with the natural environment.” This palace is a unique example of how human creativity can harmonise with nature, instead of subjugating it.

A special place in the complex is occupied by Biwon, better known as the Secret Garden. This area of 300,000 square meters served as a refuge for the royal family, a place where the monarchs sought peace from their political duties. The garden was deliberately left as natural as possible, the human hand intervened only when necessary. The Buyongjeong Pavilion, Yeonghwadang Pavilion (or other pavilions), Buyongji Pond, and ancient trees over 300 years old make this area a living museum of Korean horticulture and architecture.

OUTFIT

Sweater: ZEGNA

Watch: Schaefer & Companions

Trousers: ZEGNA

Sneakers: Carlos Santos

ZEGNA: Over a century of dedication to fabrics

When I talk about the ZEGNA brand, I’m talking about the company that celebrated its 115th anniversary in 2025. The story begins back in 1910 in the small mountain town of Trivero, in the region of Bijela in the northern Italian province of Piedmont. There, Ermenegildo Zegna, son of the watchmaker Michelangelo Zegna, founded a wool manufactory with a vision that was revolutionary for the time.

Young Ermenegildo didn’t just want to produce fabrics, he wanted to create the most beautiful fabrics in the world. To achieve this, he traveled around the planet in search of the best natural fibers. He brought the finest merino wool from Australia, cashmere from Mongolia, vicuña from South America. But what really set him apart was his approach to community and the environment.

In the thirties of the last century, while the world was sinking into economic depression, Ermenedzildo Zegna did something unexpected, he planted 500,000 coniferous trees on the slopes of the Alps above his factory. He built a modernist swimming pool for workers, a school, a hospital and the road that today bears the name Panoramica Zegna. This road, 26 kilometers long, connected Trivero with the rest of the world and became a symbol of Zegna’s philosophy, that industry, community and nature can progress together.

Today, the region is called Oasi Zegna and is a protected area of ​​100 square kilometers, surrounded by rhododendrons with a view of the peaks of the Alps, including the pyramidal Monviso and the massif of Monte Rosa. This area is a constant inspiration for the brand’s artistic director, Alessandro Sartori, who has guided the creative vision of the house since 2016.

ZEGNA was a pioneer in many things. In 1938, the founder traveled to New York where he founded the Zegna Woolens Corporation, the first company to distribute fabrics to tailors abroad. In 1991, ZEGNA became the first luxury brand to enter the Chinese market, opening a store in Beijing. Today, the group, which also includes the brands Tom Brown and Tom Ford Fashion, records an annual revenue of 1.94 billion euros.

15MILMIL15: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE FINEST WOOL

The sweater I am wearing in the photos belongs to the line made of 15milmil15 fabric. This name hides a technical specification that reveals why ZEGNA is synonymous with quality, the wool fibers have a diameter of only 15.2 microns. To put this into perspective: a human hair has a diameter of about 70 microns, which means that this fiber is almost five times thinner.

Merino wool is classified as superfine only if its fibers have a fineness below 19.5 microns. The 15 micron selection is extremely rare and can be compared for softness only to the best varieties of cashmere. These fibers come exclusively from the most noble Australian merino sheep, carefully selected from a herd whose genetics guarantee exceptional fleece fineness.

The pants I wear go one step further. The model is labeled 15milmil15 Wool Silk and Cashmere, which means it combines superfine 15 micron wool with silk and cashmere. The exact composition is 89% wool, 6% mulberry silk and 5% cashmere. The result is a fabric that is incredibly light, extremely soft and fits the body perfectly.

The color of these pants is called “Notte Oasi”, the Italian word for “night” which describes the color of the clear alpine sky above Oazi Zenja. The tone is defined as a matte dark navy blue, inspired by the night scenes of the mountain landscape surrounding the factory in Triver.

Schaefer & Companions: Art on the wrist

My hand is adorned with a watch that represents everything I love in independent horology, Solune Grand Art Antarctica Enamel from the Swiss brand Schaefer & Companions. This is a relatively young watch house, founded in 2024 in Le Locle, one of the centers of the Swiss watch industry. But the brand’s youth does not diminish the depth of its philosophy.

Founder Christophe Schaefer believes in the principle that “1 + 1 = 3”, which means that collaboration and exchange of ideas between artists opens up new horizons. That’s why the brand was conceived as a platform of artistic freedom, where the traditional metiers d’art of enameling, marquetry, engraving and micro-painting, become paths to transcendent beauty.

My copy belongs to the Antarctic collection, and its enamel dial is the work of the artist Fabienne Remonay. She is one of the leading figures in enamel art in Switzerland, with almost 30 years of experience in the prestigious workshop of Donze Cadrans. Her technique involves the use of wrinkled silver foil inside the enamel, which gives each dial a unique texture because no two copies are identical.

Fabienne interprets Antarctica as a “frozen canvas of emotions”. Every crease and texture on the dial reflects a vision of frozen waves and unchanging landscapes, emotional landscapes that, though still, still resonate deeply beneath the surface. The Solune case is 43 millimeters in diameter, crafted from 904L stainless steel (the same alloy used by Rolex for its professional watches) and features a boldly angular design inspired by the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

Inside the case is the ETA 2892-A2 mechanism, with a power reserve of 42 hours and a precision of +/-7 seconds per day. The hands are called “Astral”, the hour and minute hands are finely faceted, partly brushed and partly polished, while the second hand has the shape of a seven-pointed star.

Carlos Santos: The Portuguese Shoe Empire

The sneakers I wear come from the small Portuguese town of San Zao da Madeira, known as the “footwear capital”. This place in northern Portugal has a unique industrial history, starting as a center for hat production in the 19th century, and during the 20th century it was transformed into one of the most respected centers for the production of luxury shoes in the world.

Carlos Santos started working in the footwear industry at the age of 14, in the Zarco factory that had been producing shoes since 1942. He was a young man in Portugal in the late sixties, at a time when the oldest dictatorship in Europe still ruled the country. But Carlos had a passion for shoes that transcended circumstances.

Instead of staying in the office, he ran off to the manufacturing plant to watch the shoes being made. He visited fashion fairs, bought shoes from the world’s most famous brands, but not to wear them, but to take them apart and understand the production process. He believed that Portuguese artisans could learn these techniques and produce footwear of the same quality as the world’s best brands.

Over time, Carlos bought more and more shares in Zarco until he became its sole owner. In 2010, he launched his own brand, Carlos Santos. Today, the company exports over 90% of its production outside Portugal, to countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and the USA.

The model I am wearing is called the Brody 1300. These are leather sneakers made from a combination of suede leather (Camurca) in the dark blue color Universe and Nappa leather in the color Mast. What makes Carlos Santos footwear special is the adherence to the Goodyear Welt construction technique, a handmade method that uses machines only to supplement human labor. Each pair goes through more than 200 highly skilled manual operations.

The leather comes mostly from the French tanneries De Puy and D’Annonay, which are among the most respected in the world. Hand-dyed models are created from raw crust leather, which is then processed in more than 20 colors with extremely natural shades. This dedication to traditional methods, combined with contemporary design, makes Carlos Santos one of Portugal’s most respected export brands.

A fashion philosophy that combines tradition with modernity

As I walked along the stone paths of Cangdeokgung, I thought about the invisible threads that connect everything I carry with the place I am. ZEGNA fabrics are created in workshops where skills are passed down from generation to generation, just as Korean artisans have passed down the techniques of painting the wooden structures of this extraordinary palace for centuries. Schaefer & Companions brings together artists who preserve the ancient metiers d’art, while the craftsmen at San Zao da Madeira continue a tradition that goes back to 1942.

Cangdeokgung survived the Japanese invasion in 1592 when it was burned to the ground, then political upheavals and the colonial era. Each road has been rebuilt according to the sketches of the original design. The ZEGNA brand has survived two world wars, economic crises and the transformation of the fashion industry, but it has never abandoned Trivero and its commitment to quality. Carlos Santos went from being a teenager who ran away from the office to watch production to the owner of a company that today supplies exclusive boutiques around the world.

These are stories of perseverance, passion and a deep-rooted commitment to craftsmanship. In a world of fast fashion and instant gratification, brands like ZEGNA, Schaefer & Companions and Carlos Santos remind us of the value of time, the time it takes to master a skill, the time a 15 micron wool fiber spends on its way from an Australian farm to an Italian workshop, the time an enameller spends bending silver foil until it achieves the perfect texture of ice.

Why did I decide to bring this outfit?

Fashion for me was never just a matter of aesthetics, I was always interested in the story behind each piece of clothing, footwear or fashion accessory. Who made it? What skills were required? How many generations have participated in the transmission of knowledge? What values ​​does the brand stand for?

The ZEGNA sweater and pants I wear are not just high-quality fashion pieces, they are a manifestation of the philosophy that industry, community and nature can develop together. The Schaefer & Companions watch is not just a way to keep track of time, it’s a platform for artists to preserve centuries-old skills. Carlos Santos sneakers are not only comfortable shoes, they are proof that Portugal, a small country on the edge of Europe, can compete with the world’s most famous names in the field of luxury shoes.

As I stood in front of these beautifully painted rooftops of Cangdeokgung, the clouds were reflected in gilded detail, and the navy stripes of my sweater blended perfectly with the rich color palette of Korean royal architecture. It was the moment when I felt that the outfit I was wearing was not only an ideal visual choice, but a perfect statement of the values ​​I stand for.

Are luxury fashion pieces a lifetime investment?

Luxury in the true sense of the word is not expensive, but rare. It is not transient, but permanent. The ZEGNA fabrics I wear will look just as good in ten years as they do today, if not better, because quality materials mature with age. A Schaefer & Companions watch will run for decades with minimal maintenance, and its handcrafted enamel dial will never fade. Carlos Santos sneakers, made with the Goodyear Welt method, can be resoled and worn for generations.

In that sense, these pieces are not an expense, they are an investment. Investment in quality. An investment in true craftsmanship. Investing in brands that share the values ​​we value. And perhaps most importantly, an investment in the idea that fashion can be more than a passing trend. It can be a way to support traditions, communities and skills that deserve to survive.

Cangdeokgung has stood proudly in the same place for more than six centuries as a witness to that philosophy. Each time it was renovated, the builders respected the original design, materials and techniques. They did not chase after novelties, they believed in the value of what they inherited. It’s a lesson that brands like ZEGNA, Schaefer & Companions and Carlos Santos understand to their core.

And that’s why I chose exactly these pieces to photograph in this extraordinary setting. Not because they are the most expensive or the most popular, but because they share the soul of the place where the photos were taken. A soul dedicated to durability, beauty and deep respect for the skills that make our world richer.

This post is sponsored by ZEGNA, Schaefer & Companions, Carlos Santos brands. This post represents my personal and honest review of the destination, services and products provided.