Etro Enters Eden With S/S 23 Campaign

While the original power-couple, Adam and Eve, were expelled from Eden for misbehaving, Etro’s creative director Marco De Vincenzo is inviting us to his own slice of paradise, Eden of Etropia. As the third stage of his multi-act presentation for his debut collection at the brand’s creative helm, the dreamlike campaign looks to the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites for inspiration. Like John William Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott, or Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Lady Lillith, the campaign is defined by sharp, vivid lighting and a cast of models rocking wavy, red locks. It also doesn’t shy away from Biblical themes, with the dreamy visuals centred around the forbidden fruit as a symbol of love and seduction.

The Italian designer presented his debut collection for Etro in September, where he reimagined the brand’s heritage and tradition with Gen Z in mind. This meant an eclectic mix of simplistic wardrobe essentials made for layering, including crop-tops, vibrant button-ups, and baggy denim. Of course, it wouldn’t be a new era for the brand without the introduction of a covetable it-bag. For his debut De Vincenzo introduced the Vela Bag inspired by Etro’s history of opulent textiles and prints. This eclecticism crosses over in the S/S 23 campaign, which was styled by Gabriella Karena-Johnson and shot in London by Malaysian image-maker Zhong Lin.

This third act in De Vincenzo’s imaginative presentation, the campaign follows Manifesto (Act 1), his messaging for the brand, and Master of Textiles (Act 2), the fashion show. Following the campaign will be an immersive experience dubbed Wonderland of Etropia (Act 4). The global retail and wholesale activation will take place in 10 capital cities around the globe and promises over-the-top installations to accompany De Vincenzo’s maximalist designs.