Though women’s clothing gets the headlines during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, menswear is making strides. “The men’s field has gotten more exciting in recent years,” the executive director of 7th on Sixth, which coordinates the shows, Fern Mallis, said.

This weekend, the venerable Italian fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna will show its offshoot Z Zegna in New York for the first time since its launch in 2004.

“The U.S. is our number one worldwide market, so here we feel just as at home,” the creative director for Z Zegna, Alessandro Sartori, said.

It is a coming out of sorts for the modern collection, borne of the family-owned company’s desire to evolve the Zegna brand. Even as apparel continues to be the primary revenue source for the company, the creation of the Z Zegna line — which features the introduction of categories such as knitwear, accessories, and leather outerwear — has helped to propel the company’s bottom line and buoyed its image.

When the Italian label came knocking, Ms. Mallis welcomed it to the American platform. “They came to us very early on and were eager to secure a place. And while they won’t be in the tents, Zegna is an associate member,” she said. “It’s great for New York and for the industry.”

Still managed as a family business by a fourth generation of Zegnas, the company was founded in 1910 as a textile mill in Trivera, a small village in Italy’s Bella Alps. The menswear line has long since been synonymous with exceptional tailoring and cut. And the Z Zegna man is no less demanding of construction and fabric.

“I see both collections evolving,” a creative director for GQ magazine, Jim Moore, said. But “Z Zegna really created another wardrobe for men — a slimmer suit for the evening or to go out in on weekends.”

“He is a fashion guy who cares about his style,” Mr. Sartori said, and one who “definitely prefers wearing sharp styles that are fitted to the body.”

This season will also see the first mens collection by the Israeli-born Yigal Azrouel. An avid surfer since the age of 5, Mr. Azrouel says the cues for the collection come from his own bureau. The relaxed, “good vibrations” mood of his loose sweaters, shirting, sweatshirts, and long, rumpled scarves belie attention to clean lines, muted palates, and rich, textured fabric.

“It’s not about looking perfect,” Mr. Azrouel said. “I go surfing and after, I put on a cool sweatshirt.”

And in a blast from the past, Irish designer Nicky Wallace who is credited— or discredited — with creating the pastel-and-hair-gel look of the television series, “Miami Vice,” has returned to the fashion fray after a 20-year hiatus. Mr. Wallace previewed items from his fall collection last week in the lounge of the 60 Thompson Hotel. Textured tweed suits featured fabrics and closures in unusual places. Mr. Wallace said he had in mind “the story of the Irish peasant and the aristocrat of the 1930s and ’40s.” Elegant silk shirts and cravats were often made to appear as a patchwork of opposing patterns.

Also showing this week will be Duckie Brown, John Bartlett, and Cabbeen, a 35-year-old designer whose runway shows are the stuff of legend in Mainland China.

And for the rouges, British designer Andrew Buckler will present his edgy, rough-hewn line Buckler, favored by rock stars and artist types. The designer, though, professes a divide between his life and work.

“I’ve never been arrested,” he said, laughing. “I’m not with the Tommy Lees of the world.” Mr. Lee is a devotee of Buckler, as are the members of Snow Patrol, Oasis, and the Rolling Stones.

Mr. Buckler, a former designer for Emanuel by Emanuel Ungaro, is getting back to clean lines, suits, and tailoring the season — after several collections of denim twisted into every possible configuration. Still, his fall collection was inspired by the many sweatstained nights he spent trolling London clubs, listening to revival house music, and soaking up the energy of eccentric revelers.