Paisley printer to the world; family-owned Milanese textile house turned full luxury maison.
Etro is the Italian textile house that built its identity around a single motif — the paisley print, which the family has been printing on silks and cashmeres since 1981.
Founded in 1968 by Gerolamo 'Gimmo' Etro as a textile producer in Milan, the maison expanded into ready-to-wear in 1984 and accessories shortly after. The Etro family still controls 40% of the business (60% to L Catterton since 2021). Marco De Vincenzo joined as creative director in 2022.
Founded 1968.
Gerolamo 'Gimmo' Etro founded a small textile company in Milan in 1968, specialising in fine fabrics for haute couture houses. The early customer list included Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino. By the late 1970s the company had developed its own design language built around fine silk and the paisley motif — a teardrop floral pattern with origins in Persian and Indian textiles.
Etro registered its first paisley pattern in 1981. The motif became the family's signature — printed on scarves, ties, cashmere shawls, and later on every product the maison made. The four Etro children (Veronica, Jacopo, Kean, Ippolito) entered the business in the 1980s and 1990s, each leading a different category.
De Vincenzo, a young Italian designer (former Fendi accessories team, founder of his own label), was appointed creative director in 2022 — the first time the Etro family had handed the womenswear over to an outside designer. His tenure has expanded the maison's product offering while preserving the paisley-centric textile heritage.
1 era of creative direction.
First non-Etro family creative director. De Vincenzo has reinterpreted the paisley heritage for a modern audience without abandoning it.
6 icons. Each one a scene; each scene a gallery.
Crescent-shaped shoulder bag named for Saturn.
Heart-shaped shoulder bag.
Top-handle with the Pegaso (Pegasus) gold clasp — Etro's mythological mascot.
Sail-inspired shoulder bag.
Boxy structured shoulder with leather handle.
The signature paisley printed canvas tote.