Text by Cristian Burbano

Etro’s menswear creative director Kean Etro took us back to school this season, staging the brand’s runway return at Milan’s Bocconi University, gifting each attendee a book alongside their FW22 invite. Literature, knowledge and travel were key touchstones, with the vast show space featuring winding paisley swirls guiding models on rhymic paths, with several of them carrying books as they walked.

These paisley patterns translated across thick Nordic knitwear and luxurious robing which set a standard for this collection’s commitment to comfort. Slouchy silhouettes met relaxed tailoring as we shifted between formal and informal classes. Cartoon sneakers told us to embrace our childish side, while classic duffels were crafted as rubberized puffer hybrids. Elsewhere, motifs and prints explored ideas of adventure: North stars and anchors, winter sea and mountains.

Literary references continued with the use of the word ‘gioia’, meaning joy in Italian on a green turtleneck, and wolf motifs nodded to Etro’s continued conservation work with WWF dedicated to the species.