Etro unveils ‘Eden of Etropia’, the first campaign for new creative director Marco De Vincenzo celebrating the spring 2023 collection.

My jaw is on the floor and I have tears in my eyes. Okay, I am lying. The truth is that I am weeping, believing that women worldwide have a new ally in Marco De Vincenzo at Etro — which has its own honorable brand history in the 70s search for women’s liberation, global justice and human enlightenment.

Not only is the campaign beautiful on a visceral level. It drives a dagger [literally in the video] into the apple and a search for the truth of women’s identity.

Inspired by the paintings and portraits of the Pre-Raphaelites, Marco De Vincenzo communicates his poetic vision, creating a new paradise centered around the apple, the iconic fruit of the collection and a potent symbol of love, seduction and eternity.

That’s great copy. But the truth is also that the word ‘malus’ besides being Latin for ‘apple’ is also a very negative word associated with bad, evil and wicked. From a religious perspective the apple reference with Eve didn’t even appear in versions of the New Testament until 500 AD.

I wrote about this discovery after watching a PBS show ‘Mysteries of the Garden of Eden’, first released in 2007. The documentary will be purchased before sundown at whatever price.

Even a priest from Notre Dame University was supportive of the historical challenge to the biblical creation story discussed in the documentary. The key argument in ‘Mysteries of the Garden of Eden’ is one reflecting a terrible, historical power struggle between men and women — a story in which women would ultimately lose the battle.

It’s very possible that Etro walked into the metaphorical lion’s den with this fabulous new campaign, with no knowledge of its feminist DNA. Of course, both Italy and France live much closer to the truth of women’s history than America.

But at a time when the uber-left in America is trying to eliminate the word ‘woman’ from our legal and health laws vocabulary, backing women into a corner from both the left and an even more aggressive right wing attacking us, I feel that Adam’s first wife Lilith in the Old Testament is in the house. And she has not come to play.

How much praise has AOC heaped on photographer Zhong Lin in the last year? Well Zhong Lin is holding the lens on the campaign featuring models Akon Changkou, Iman Kaumann and Livia Hammar. Gabriella Karefa-Johnson has styled the campaign, so kudos to her. / Hair by Jawara; makeup by Ammy Drammeh

What an INTERESTING deck of creative cards has been dealt here. Wow. Wow. Wow! These images are branded in my brain. Branded.

Thank you Etro and Marco De Vincenzo. Thank you to everyone on the campaign for giving me a much-needed shot in the arm on beauty, sensuality and female empowerment. Many of us are looking for a new humanity on Planet Earth — a true age of Aquarius.

As I’ve written, Etro was embedded in the best dreams of young people in the 1970’s. We can criticize all their myopic wrong-thinking today, but there was also a lot of good intentions and dedication to social justice in those years.

For Etro to update and refresh that vision in product, marketing, truth about contradictions and stereotyping — while distilling its inherent goodness in intention is a tremendously positive and fertile foundation on which Etro can thrive.

Indeed, it’s a high-wire act. But the fact that Etro has assembled such a spectacular creative ensemble here tells me they are operating on sublime instincts. AOC’s response is “go, go, go you beautiful people. “ ~ Anne