ETRO x Indian Contemporary Artist @ Paisley Collection

A sense of multi-cultural elegance and reserach inspired by a taste for traveling – both real and imaginary compose the vibrant Etro spirit. The Paisley, object of countless interpretations and multiplications, sums up this essence, creating an indelible DNA filament. Paisley is a decorative pattern that, over the years, traveled a lot, becoming a staple of our visual culture: it was born in Mesopotamia, where it was a symbol of the palm tree, which was also the tree of life; afterwards, it became jacquard or embroidery on the precious Indian fabrics that two centuries ago started spreading throughout the world, finally reaching, in many different versions, our time.

Etro’s Paisley has always been a homage to India. Now, it goes back to India: different in the way it looks, seen through new lenses yet identical in spirit. Jacopo Etro involves Indian contemporary artists Thukral & Tagra is a special project, thrusting into the hands of these interpreters of contemporary India’s peculiarities and contradictions one of Etro’s classics: the Arnica Paisley canvas. By using the means of pop – multiplication, play of scale and proportions, irony – T&T de-compose and re-compose the Paisley pattern, making it an expression of energy, dream, movement.

  

T&T treat Paisley as pure visual rhythm. They move, artistically, on parallel lines: they turn the little palm or drop into an icon, a colored geometrical element like a pixel, multiplied to create a sort of modular hound’s tooth; they act directly on Arnica, keeping intact both the base and color palette while creating new and more geometric designs; they mix the aforementioned themes with figurative elements – houses, trees, clouds as to symbolize dream mansions and fairy-tale landscapes.

 The whole project oozes a playful, dreamy energy: it’s as if Paisley was seen through a digital layer, offering a door to a parallel dimension. The result of this collaboration is a capsule collection of bags and small leather goods for men and women. The allover patterns, in the three versions, are printed onto shoppers, satchels, duffels, trolleys as well as wallets and tablet covers. The women’s collection includes different styles of bags, from shoulder models to shoppers, wallets in various sizes and baggage pieces.

Paisley, the traveling pattern, charges up with a contemporary visual joy. It turns into a new classic: another expression of Etro New Tradition.