What’s in a name? Everything, it would appear. Creative Director of the Italian fashion house Veronica Etro divulges the secret behind her family’s success and that iconic Paisley pattern.
Who is the Etro woman in your eyes?
The Etro woman is individualistic and independent. She likes to play with fashion, but she doesn’t take clothes too seriously. In fact, I’d say she is more interested in style than she is with pure fashion, because she’s cosmopolitan and a globetrotter. For her, clothing is a creative expression. There’s a sense of freedom when she gets dressed. She follows her whims and enjoys the fantasy and exoticism that fashion can bring. I design for a woman who is bold and isn’t afraid of colour, or a touch of eclecticism. I want our customer to be in love with little details– that are sometimes hidden.Things like linings, haberdashery, buttons, under collars, etc.
Your AW15 collection is print heavy and opulent; what’s the message behind it?
The inspiration was the world of home interiors, ornate wallpapers, rich tapestries and luxurious upholstery textiles, providing a new creative playground. I like the idea that the opulence gets tamed with a new sense of precision and an intimacy that feels cosy and warm. I called the whole thing ‘maximalism under control’ as I remember when we were putting together the patchworks, it looked a mess on the floor: hundreds of different jacquards, prints, etc. My aim was to create a patchwork without having the harlequin effect, choosing different patterns and keeping them tonal made it controlled.
You’re known for your love of pattern, why is this important?
A collection is six months’ worth of work and sometimes it is a little autobiographical; you obviously put some of your experience into the collection. I tend to leave it very instinctive (Panta Rhei and fluid) to let things flow rather than to give a theme at the beginning. I start with an intensive research period and spend many months gathering images, swatches of fabric and taking notes of things that inspire me. The inspiration comes from many different sources and it changes with each collection: it could be a movie or a trip, an exhibit I’ve seen, a book I’ve read or a special corner of the Etro archives or even a dream. Once the theme starts to emerge, I dive more deeply into the research and this begins to inform the development of the materials. We always start with the fabrics at Etro as this is the most important part of our brand’s DNA. Each season we push new techniques and new boundaries to create innovative materials and prints.
How do you push new techniques, boundaries and reimagine them?
Pattern is central to Etro’s past, present and future. Every season, we take a new journey with the print. For me, it’s always an exciting personal challenge to create and new interesting patterns using different techniques. I love to discover an original way of looking at print; a fresh way of dealing with it. It may be that I look back and resuscitate a lost tradition or an ancient technique from the past, or I might look far to the future for cutting-edge, high-tech processes that have never been used before. It’s a challenge to come up with something unique each season but taking a brand new voyage with every collection is what makes my job very exciting and satisfying.
Your brand is a family-run fashion house. Why is this important to your business?
It’s a very unique environment because it’s not often that you can blend the personal with the professional. As everything in the fashion world gets bigger and our company grows, I like the fact that family remains at the centre of it all. We work very closely together and we rely on one another to share ideas and discuss our vision. We are also able to make very quick decisions without getting bogged down in bureaucracy. Obviously when you’re working with family members you can get into heated debates over the lunch table, but this honesty and openness is also probably one of our greatest advantages. You’re in a safe place to push the boundaries.
Can you describe the process between you and your three siblings?
We are a very tight family and we share a common appreciation of our heritage, respect for our history and love for what our father started. Everyone has their own individual taste, but we have a very similar philosophy of the brand and what it stands for. We all share the same goals and the same vision.
What’s the secret to your family’s success?
We each have clearly defined roles inside the company and this is fundamental to our success.
How has the Paisley print changed over the years?
My father began using the pattern in the Eighties and it quickly became the symbol of the Etro brand. Its journey, over the course of thousands of years, is very inspirational to me. I love symbols that are rich in history. Every season we develop and reinvent the classic Paisley design in new ways. It’s always stimulating to deal with such a decorative pattern as you can easily blend it with more geometrical designs, mix with flowers, stripes and polka-dots or work it with different techniques. Sometimes I look at it through a very classic lens and sometimes I like to completely revolutionise it. Either way, the design remains very powerful.
