The story
Etro was founded in 1968 by Gerolamo "Gimmo" Etro as a textile design company. At the time of the company’s founding, Gimmo and his wife, Roberta, an antiques dealer, had assembled a collection of 300 antique shawls, which remains one of the largest private collections of its kind. The paisley motif and its variations became a central element of Etro's design identity over the following decades.
The company's headquarters, located on Via Spartaco in Milan, was renovated in 1977. The site includes a textile archive and in-house library. Jacopo Etro, who would later lead the textiles division, recalled visiting the archive as a child and experimenting with fabric design.
Following a trip to India by company executives, Etro launched a furnishing textiles line in 1981. The paisley design encountered during this trip became closely associated with the brand, as noted by Elle Magazine.
In 1984, Etro began producing leather goods using Paisley Jacquard fabrics, and introduced its home collection in 1985. The fragrance line was launched in 1989, with its first boutique opening on Via Verri in Milan. Subsequent additions included fragrances such as Rajasthan and Jacquard. Etro debuted its first fashion show at Milan Fashion Week in 1996.
In 1999, the company began selling through direct-mail inserts in The New York Times, and in 2013, it expanded into e-commerce alongside its retail operations. In 2014, Rizzoli published a monograph on the company’s history titled Etro.
By 2018, Etro reported €372 million in annual revenue. By 2021, it operated 140 flagship stores in 58 countries, with locations in cities including Milan, London, Paris, New York, Beijing, and Tokyo. That year, Etro established a subsidiary in Seoul to manage its South Korean business.
In 2021, private equity firm L Catterton acquired a 60% stake in the company, valuing Etro at approximately €500 million. In 2022, Etro appointed Marco De Vincenzo as creative director for the women's, men's, and home collections, making him the first designer from outside the Etro family to hold the role.
On December 19, 2025, the founding family sold its minority stake, marking their complete exit from the company. The shares have been acquired by a consortium of industrial investors: Rams Global (Turkey-based leader in luxury real estate and hospitality), Swinger International (led by Mathias Facchini, owner of Genny), and SRI Group (chaired by banker Giulio Gallazzi). L Catterton, the LVMH-backed private equity firm that took majority control in 2021, retains the controlling position (diluted to ~51%) following a capital increase, including approximately €30M from Swinger. The transaction values the deal at over €70 million.
From Wikipedia’s article on Etro, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5