Italian fashion house ETRO is another firm that has succumbed to the charms of Asian artists. In this case, the culprit (taking the word in the best sense of its meaning) has been the Chinese actor Ren Jialum, also known as Allen Ren.

Inspired by the lights of the stars in the night sky, they have designed a capsule collection entitled ETRO X RJL, the result of a conversation between Marco De Vincenzo, the company’s creative director, and Allen Ren. It’s all about the meaning of stars and their representation in the collaboration, which manifests itself in the form of sportswear such as knitted sweatshirts, cotton T-shirts, and joggers, as well as more formal items such as poplin shirts; and accessories such as bucket hats, the Etro Essential leather bag in a special star-studded version, and a limited edition necklace celebrating Allen’s birth and his first collaboration as a guest designer with a brand.

Ren is a great admirer of this luminous, spheroid-shaped astronomical object and has said: “The image of the stars always takes me back to my hometown, Qingdao. When Marco and I started our conversation, I first told him about my childhood memory of a summer night, standing by the sea, watching the stars, and feeling their extraordinary strength. That was the moment when I started dreaming about my future, and that light has always guided me”.

To this De Vincenzo added: “This capsule collection was born out of our desire to see the world of Etro through Ren’s eyes. The story of that special moment in Qingdao left me with a magical feeling. Stars are a symbol of light and energy that has perpetually inspired artists throughout the ages. I wanted to reinvent them as a pop element, combined with the iconic Pegasus”.

ETRO X RJL capsule collection is now available on ETRO Tmall and in Etro boutiques in Greater China and Singapore.