Etro, the Italian luxury brand controlled by the L Catterton fund, has appointed Marco De Vincenzo as its new creative director. From the beginning of next month, he will be in charge of the women’s, men’s and home collections.

Its first main collection will be presented for spring/summer 2023 during Milan Fashion Week in September.

The company has said that Veronica, Kean and Jacopo Etro will continue to be involved in the development of the brand’s strategy in collaboration with L Catterton.

The new creative director graduated from the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome at the beginning of this century and then worked with Fendi on its key accessories offering.

He launched his own womenswear label in 2009, a year in which he also won the «Who Is On Next?» award organized by Altaroma and Vogue Italia.

Etro CEO Fabrizio Cardinali said the appointment is part of the brand’s new direction and praised his sense of color, prints and fabrics. He said De Vincenzo will be able to interpret the brand’s heritage, while adding novelties and, most importantly, giving a new impetus to the world of accessories.

Accessories, with their higher margins, are key to the profitability of luxury brands.

The designer’s arrival at Etro is the latest, and most high-profile, in a series of high-profile hires at the brand, which has also recently appointed Iacopo Martini as chief financial officer and Alberto Candellero to the newly created position of commercial and sustainability director.

The brand was founded in 1968 by Gerolamo Etro and currently has some 140 stores in 58 countries. It also has 20 travel retail outlets. Although the pandemic-related events of the past few years have challenged the brand, as most of the world returns to normalcy, they should regain their relevance. As the accessories strategy is essential for the future, this should further reinforce the key position of travel retail outlets in the brand’s store range.