A turning point at Etro: With Marco de Vincenzo, the Italian fashion house has for the first time a creative director who does not belong to the founding family. He presented his debut collection on Friday at Milan Fashion Week, featuring the trends for the spring/summer 2023 season. And the 44-year-old Sicilian immediately hinted that he was willing to reinvent Etro.
Etro started as a fabric weaving mill in 1968, and has also had fashion collections since 1994. Since then, the label has stood for hippie glamor with opulent paisley patterns. “I think this world no longer exists like this,” de Vincenzo gave the industry portal “The Business of Fashion” a first insight into his design approach in June. “For me, the splendor of the fabrics has always been the true essence of the brand.”
And he played it to the full on his debut. Above all, however, Marco de Vincenzo sought modernity through radical breaks. He countered sweet romance with black gloom. Light dresses met rough sports boats. In any case, there was a special focus on footwear, from over-the-knee boots to models with dizzying heels. There are still patterns, as well as embroidery. Fringes are often interpreted as angular and graphic. Various variants of shorts alternate with long, very wide and softly falling pants, free shoulders with bare stomach areas.
Since his debut in 2009, Marco de Vincenzo has been considered one of the greatest talents in Italian fashion. Although his own collections were acclaimed by the press, they never achieved great commercial success. Now, with Etro, one of the most important Italian fashion houses, offers him the big stage.
Milan Fashion Week runs until Monday. The program includes other top-class artists such as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani with their latest women’s collections.