Family Line

For Selvedge issue 63, Renata Molho revelled in the talent of the Etro clan... 

There are stories that unfold in a linear way, that start from a specific point and, through specific stages, trace a path whose final outcome is quite predictable or, at least, consequential. Telling the story of Etro’s world is instead a kind of ongoing adventure involving ideas, images, and words. It signifies entering a parallel dimension, dominated by a rationale that is wholly original, which shuns conformism. If I had to choose two words to describe Etro, those words would be 'independence' and 'culture'. And if I had to imagine an atmosphere in which to inscribe these two concepts, it would be that of a celebration...

Founded as a textile manufacturing company for ready-to-wear and haute couture fashions, Etro immediately distinguished itself for its rigour in choosing only the finest materials, for its capacity to invent pioneering colour combinations, and for its passion for decorativism. Prints and ornamental motifs were the starting point of its exploration. Fashion – meaning the assembly of complete menswear and womenswear collections and a sophisticated line of fragrances, leather goods and home collections – is the fruit of a natural evolution, and it has been supplemented along the way, ultimately completing the idea of Etro’s style: a precise way of representing and occupying space.

The forerunner, Gimmo Etro – who founded the brand in 1968, before becoming an enlightened entrepreneur – was a booklover and perceptive art collector. His four children – Jacopo, Kean, Ippolito, and Veronica – are, in turn, collectors of primitive art, contemporary art, and photography. For them, the custom of what is beautiful, the rules of living well, of education, of sartoriality, and a taste for craftsmanship are a mind-set, but none of them are content with what already exists: each gesture is a starting point that shapes an idea...

You can read this article in full in Selvedge issue 63.