The designer interview: Etro
A 50-year-old label is fashion’s new one-to-watch. The secret? Making ultra-desirable clothes that people want to live in, says Creative Director VERONICA ETRO. By EMMA SELLS
If the key to success in today’s ever-evolving fashion landscape is having an ironclad brand signature that fans can really buy into, then Etro is way ahead of the game. Since it was founded by Gerolamo ‘Gimmo’ Etro in 1968, the Italian textiles-turned-fashion label has fine-tuned its hallmarks – a fusion of paisley, print, color and an eclectic spirit – and quietly got on with the business of creating beautifully crafted clothes without worrying about what everyone else is doing.
But over the past three seasons it has slowly, surely and deliberately transformed into not just a go-to for artisanal staples, but a fashion-forward one-to-watch. First came the oh-so-desirable dresses, then came the effortless personality-laden jackets and the shoes that launched a thousand (and then some) wish lists. So how did a 50-year-old label stealthily start creating the most-wanted pieces of the season, every season?
“I always think it’s dangerous to be part of the latest trend because then you can be thrown away the next season. I’m not interested in that,” says Veronica Etro, Gimmo’s daughter and the label’s Creative Director of Womenswear. “I prefer to make pieces women want to keep in their wardrobe and collections that are timeless.”
It is this grounded approach that has always made the brand so appealing to women, and it stems from Veronica herself, who often designs with her day-to-day life in mind. Sure, on vacation you’ll find her in printed dresses and palazzo pants but, as a busy working mother of two sons, her default uniform consists of black pants, a printed blouse and flats (“I can’t be bothered to wear heels. I don’t have time and I suffer too much”) and her collections neatly reflect that reality. Then there’s the fact that, even dressed in airy fabrics and romantic florals, the Etro woman is far from a pushover. “She’s not a fashion victim,” says the designer. “She’s a strong character because to wear prints and color and stand out, you have to be. She’s a free spirit, she’s positive, she’s happy. She smiles!”
This is also an apt description of the 42-year-old designer. She still gets excited when she sees women in her label, particularly when they put their own spin on the pieces. “I love it when people break the rules,” she says. “When they feel free to express their identity and personalize their clothes.”
Etro is a rarity: a serious fashion player, still family-owned and run. Veronica joined in 1998 after studying at London’s Central Saint Martins. Her brothers Jacopo, Kean and Ippolito design accessories, menswear and handle the business side of things respectively, while their 75-year-old father still has plenty to say about what’s going on. The Milan offices – three beautiful, art-filled buildings that house the studio, archive library and showrooms – have served as the label’s HQ since its early days.
“It’s dangerous to be part of trends; you can be thrown away the next season. I make pieces that are timeless
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“The Etro woman is a strong character. She’s a free spirit, she’s happy. She smiles!
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“I’ve never felt that coming here was like going to the office, it feels like home,” says the designer. “I remember coming when I was little; it was like a playground. I’d sit in the offices with water, glue, brushes, watercolors, swatches of fabric and make collages. My father would ask whether we liked this print or that one. It was fun.”
Of course working at a label with such a rich history comes with its challenges: primarily, how to reinvent its signatures every season and keep things fresh. It’s a tricky balancing act, especially when tradition and craftsmanship are such a huge part of Etro’s identity. Those paisley prints, for example, are still hand-drawn by an artist in France over the course of a month, not digitally designed. But scroll through the shows of the past few seasons and you’ll see that the label has become more relevant, the season’s most-wanted models (Ruth Bell, Heather Kemesky, Lineisy Montero) taking to the runway tricked out in cool-girl styling by Anastasia Barbieri. Amid all those dreamy, nomadic looks, you’ll find modern, stand-out fashion items – the reversible bomber jackets and embroidered ballet pumps are among SS16’s most sought-after pieces.
“I think much more now about what people like to wear and what I see in the street,” says the designer. “The time of just dressing models on a catwalk is finished. Now it’s about making clothes that people want to live in.”
The people featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown.