Etro
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Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Founded | 1968 |
Founder | Gimmo Etro |
Headquarters | , Italy |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Kean Etro Jacopo Etro Veronica Etro Ippolito Etro |
Products | Clothing, footwear, handbags, jewellery, perfumes, textiles and home furnishings |
Revenue | ![]() |
Website | www |
Etrois a family-managed Italian luxuryfashion housefounded in 1968. It is mainly known for itspaisleypatterns, which the company started making in 1981.
History
[edit]Etro was founded in 1968 by Gerolamo "Gimmo" Etro[2]as a textile design company.[3][4]By the time the company was born, Gimmo and his wife, Roberta, an antiques dealer, had amassed a collection of 300 antique shawls, still one of the largest private collections in existence today.[5]The main stylistic driver for Etro over its first decades was the paisley pattern, and variations on this theme.[6]The company's headquarters is located inMilanon Via Spartaco, and was refurbished in 1977.[7]The headquarters includestextile artarchived in their in-house library.[8]Future textiles head Jacopo Etro later commented on this period,[9]stating that he had started to visit thearchivewhen he was a child, spending many hours copying the fabric designs and experimenting with his owncreativestyle.[10]After a trip toIndiamade by Etro executives, the furnishing textiles line made its debut in 1981.[11]The "swirling"paisley designfound on this trip is now "synonymous" with the label according toElle Magazine.[12]
The company began producingleather goodsin 1984, crafted from PaisleyJacquardfabrics.[13]Etro then began itshomecollection in 1985.[14]TheFragrancescollection was launched in 1989,[15]making its debut in the Milanese Fragrances flagshipboutique,located on Via Verri. More recent additions of the line include Rajasthan[16]and Jacquard.[17]Etro's firstfashion showatMilan Fashion Weekwas held in 1996.[18]The company began sales by direct-mail through inserts inThe New York Timesstarting in 1999,[19]and it began selling its clothing online in addition to in retail stores in 2013.[20]In 2014, a monograph on the company's history entitledEtrowas published byRizzolipublishing house.[21]
By 2018, Etro reported $372 million in annual revenue.[22]By 2021, the company operated 140 flagships in 58 countries with boutiques in cities such as Milan, London, Paris, New York, Beijing and Tokyo.[23]That year, it also took control of its South Korean business by opening a subsidiary in Seoul.[24]
In 2021,L Cattertonagreed to buy a 60% stake in Etro, in a deal valuing the company at about 500 million euros ($590 million).[25][26][27]In 2022, Etro appointed designer Marco De Vincenzo as its new creative director for women’s, men’s and home collections,[28]making him the brand’s first head designer from outside the Etro family.[29]
Management
[edit]Family
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Kean_Etro.jpg/150px-Kean_Etro.jpg)
Etro is identified primarily with Gimmo (born Gerolamo), the founder, however the company is managed by his four children:[30]
- Kean Etro was thecreative directorof the Etro Man collections, sometimes inspired by his travels and antique book collection.[31]He joined the family business in 1986 as a digital intern. In 1990 he designed his first menswear collection, and in 1996 he produced a fashion show focused on the concept of "New Tradition".[32]
- Veronica Etro was thecreative directorof the Etro Woman collections.[33]She unveiled her first womenswear collection in 2000.[34]
- Jacopo Etro worked for thefamily businessfrom 1982, eventually becoming the Creative Director of the Etro Accessories, Leather, Home and Textile collections, as well as Head ofCommunication.In 2010, he was also invited to sit on the board of theCamera Nazionale Della Moda Italianaas the delegate for the Italian textile industry.[35]
- Ippolito Etro joined the company in 1991, overseeing the Administration Department before his promotion to General Director.[36]He was quoted byThe New York Timesstating: "My father always told us that we could do what we wanted in life. But he said, 'If you work here, you have to start from scratch'".[37]
CEOs
[edit]Collections
[edit]Menswear
[edit]The menswear collection has been presented through conceptual catwalk shows, including the 2003 Autumn/Winter collection that had guests ride on a 1937 steam train through urbanMilan,with the models walking through the cabins.[40]Other pieces have included "cooked" shirts, where the pieces are dyed with berries or other food-stuffs in order to produce their intended designs.[41]
Womenswear
[edit]The womenswear line was launched in 1991.[42]For the 2016 Spring/Summer womenswear collection presented in Milan, Angelo Flaccavento wrote that it "show[ed] off the savoir-faire of her ateliers", using aballerina-lingerie theme. He wrote further of the lighter direction the collection moved in from previous seasons that "Everything had a charming, undone quality that looked appealing and felt new".[43]The New York Timescalled the collection an "ode to turn-of-the-century femininity", also mentioning the strong influence of dance throughout the show.[44]From 2017 on, Veronica and Kean started showing their collections together.[45]
Etro Home
[edit]Starting in 1985, Etro added home textiles, pillows and plaids to its portfolio.[46][47]These were followed by ceramics, gifts and wallpaper.[48]Everything is produced in-house except for furniture.
In 2014, Etro opened its first Etro Home store in Milan during theSalone del Mobile.[49]In 2017, the company entered into an agreement with Jumbo Group in Cantù for the production and distribution of furniture.[50]In 2020, Etro revealed the brand will start developing fabrics for the outdoors, to be employed in gardens or boats.[51]
Fragrances
[edit]Etro also has a line offragrances,some using the theme of "ancient perfumery".[52]In 2024, the company andCotysigned an agreement for the production and distribution of Etro fragrance lines and home scent collections beyond 2040.[53]
Other projects
[edit]Other collections include toiletries, leathergoods, travel accessories, eyewear,[6]footwear,[42]and jewelry.[54]In 2023, the brand signed a multiyear licensing agreement with Italian manufacturing company Simonetta to launch Etro Kids, a childrenswear line.[55]
Controversy
[edit]In a 2018 lawsuit filed inNew York State Supreme Court,former Etro employee Kim Weiner alleged the company had been discriminating against employees on the basis of race, gender and age, arguing she herself was fired after taking a stand against the company’s biased practices.[56]
References
[edit]- ^Alexandra Marshall (February 23, 2018),How An Italian Family Turned Paisley Prints And Haute-Hippe Garb Into a 50-Year-Old Fashion LegacyW
- ^"Creative director at Etro takes inspiration from native textiles".South China Morning Post.1 January 2015.
- ^Mary Lisa Gavenas (2008).The Fairchild Encyclopedia of Menswear.Fairchild Books. p. 137.
- ^Björn Stüwe (2009).Produktklassiker: Quintessenzen der Konsumkultur(in German). Springer-Verlag. p. 139.
- ^Alexandra Marshall (August 15, 2017),The Colorful World of EtroWSJ..
- ^abPeggy Fincher Winters and Carole Paul (2002).Brandstand: Strategies for Retail Brand Building.Visual Reference Publications. p. 57.
- ^Christina Binkley (26 January 2012)."The Healthy Sibling Rivalry in a Design House".WSJ.
- ^The Independent."Fashion: Raison D'Etro".The Independent.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^"Etro is the latest Italian fashion house to hit the block".thedeal.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-08-27.
- ^Marie Claire Italia."Etro: i tessuti, l'arredamento, le borse, i profumi e la moda"(in Italian). Marie Claire Italia. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^Vogue."Voguepedia".Vogue.Archived fromthe originalon 31 March 2014.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^"Etro Collections - Etro Runway Show Archive - ELLE".ELLE.
- ^"Le Souk".lesouk.co.
- ^"Etro Home Collection SS15".LuxPad.
- ^Alexandra Marshall (August 15, 2017),The Colorful World of EtroWSJ..
- ^Vogue India."Italians make a perfume of Rajasthan".Vogue India.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^InStyle."Spring Fragrances".InStyle.Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2014.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^Allison Cawley."Italian Fashion from Etro".Peachfully Chic.
- ^Winters and Paul, 63.
- ^Harpers Bazaar."Etro launches e-commerce on revamped website".Harpers Bazaar. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved3 April2014.
- ^Hannah Martin."Preview Etro, a new monograph from Rizzoli".Architectural Digest.
- ^Alexandra Marshall (February 23, 2018),How An Italian Family Turned Paisley Prints And Haute-Hippe Garb Into a 50-Year-Old Fashion LegacyW
- ^Luisa Zargani (July 18, 2021),L Catterton Takes Control of EtroWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Martino Carrera (January 27, 2021),Etro Opens South Korean SubsidiaryWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Elisa Anzolin and Claudia Cristoferi (April 19, 2021),Italy's Etro is considering interest from L Catterton -sourceReuters.
- ^Silvia Aloisi (July 18, 2021),LVMH-backed fund to buy 60% of Italian fashion label Etro -sourcesReuters.
- ^Luisa Zargani (July 18, 2021),L Catterton Takes Control of EtroWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Hannah Militano (25 February 2022),Etro Names New Creative Director, Designer Marco De VincenzoGrazia.
- ^Laura Rysman (11 June 2022),What Would Happen if Fashion Actually Slowed Down?New York Times.
- ^"Etro".The Cut.
- ^"In each neighbourhood there lies a special shop".The New York Times.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^Armand Limnander."Profile in Style: Kean Etro".The New York Times.Retrieved3 April2014.
- ^"A conversation with Veronica Etro".Vogue Italia.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^The Daily Telegraph."Little Black Book: Veronica Etro".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved3 April2014.
- ^Antonio Nieto."The Collector".The Sunday Times.Archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2014.Retrieved3 April2014.
- ^Robin Mellery-Pratt."Ippolito Etro to Exit Family Business to Pursue 'New Horizons'".Business of Fashion.Retrieved2 April2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Succession Problems Make Them Targets for Acquisition: Can Italy Houses Stay Alive?".The New York Times.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^Luisa Zargani (9 September 2021),EXCLUSIVE: Etro Appoints Fabrizio Cardinali CEOWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Claudia Cristoferi (9 September 2021),Italian fashion group Etro picks new CEO after L Catterton takeoverReuters.
- ^"Treni, banche e fabbriche per le sfilate della moda maschile".Corriere della Sera.Retrieved2 April2014.
- ^Michael Slenske (June 2008)."Kean Eye".Best Life. p. 94.
- ^abFrancesca Sterlacci Purvin and Joanne Arbuckle (2007).Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry.Scarecrow Press. p. 70.
- ^"Etro's Pale Damsels".The Business of Fashion.
- ^Laura Rysman (September 25, 2015)."At Etro, Beauty Fit For Ballet".The New York Times.
- ^Alexandra Marshall (August 15, 2017),The Colorful World of EtroWSJ..
- ^John Graham (2005).Where to Wear London.Where to Wear International Ltd. p. 70.
- ^Luisa Zargani (October 14, 2020),Etro Further Developing Its Home LineWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Luisa Zargani (October 14, 2020),Etro Further Developing Its Home LineWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^"The Business: Jacopo Etro".Telegraph.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-04-15.
- ^Luisa Zargani (October 14, 2020),Etro Further Developing Its Home LineWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Luisa Zargani (October 14, 2020),Etro Further Developing Its Home LineWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^"Etro launch Marquetry and Io Myself".basenotes.net.
- ^Sandra Salibian (20 February 2024),Coty and Etro Ink Long-term Beauty LicenseWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Alexa Brazilian (September 25, 2015)."The Daily Jewel: Etro".The New York Times.
- ^Sandra Salibian (3 May 2023),Etro to Introduce Kids LineWomen's Wear Daily.
- ^Jonah Engel Bromwich and Vanessa Friedman (August 30, 2018),Lawsuit Accuses the Italian Fashion House Etro of DiscriminationNew York Times.