Designers and executives fondly remembered Etta Froio, former senior vice president, executive editor and associate publisher of Fairchild Publications, parent of WWD, for her fashion knowledge, clever wit and grace under pressure. Froio was also praised by colleagues for her kindness, patience, ability to teach her staff and successfully manage a frenetic newsroom with an extremely calm demeanor. Froio died Wednesday night in New York at age 94.
Here’s what people had to say:
Ralph Lauren
“What I remember most about Etta was what a real journalist she was. She brought a rare kind of integrity to the world of fashion. She was there on the front row of so many of my early shows and came back as a special guest long after she retired. From the very beginning she was a genuine supporter of the personal style I believed in. She was a great writer with a strong voice but had a genuine humility and a class that came from the things she valued. I always had tremendous respect for her. I always will.”
“I knew her for so many years. She was so special and an unusual breed. She was a different breed from the people at Fairchild. I adored her. I’m thinking when I was a copy boy at WWD in between FIT and working in the industry. I just wanted to be close to what was really happening, and Women’s Wear was the place to be. Etta held the whole thing together. She had a way of getting the best out of people and it was always positive.”
Josie Natori
“She was family. Even after she retired, we even got closer. It’s really sad. She lived a good life. I feel very fortunate that the time we spent — the ’80s and ’90s — was the best era, and certainly Etta was a figure there. I had a party in my flat with [The International Herald Tribune’s] Hebe Dorsey and Suzy Menkes, to be in fashion and retail, those were really unforgettable decades. After Etta retired, we saw each other regularly and she’s legendary and just amazing and so well loved. She had an amazing life. She had a great sense of humor and was wonderful. I think we have to celebrate her life. It was a privilege to know her and be her friend.”
“She was so warm and her heart came right out to us with each of my collections. She was so nice to me. I always thought of her like a friend, and I always loved seeking her and [The New York Times’] Carrie Donovan. What I loved about WWD was they truly made American fashion, and there was such a respect for Women’s Wear. Etta was personable. I found her loving, I didn’t find her tough. I remember her wearing black like me. She knew what it was like to be a woman in this business. She led the group together so beautifully.”
Nicolas Ghesquière
“I have such fond memories of Etta. As a designer taking over a venerable house, previews with her were both a bit intimidating but always heartwarming. Her kindness, the sparkle in her eyes when she saw something she had not seen before made you feel seen and understood. I am so grateful for the support she gave me very early on.”
Edward Nardoza, former editor in chief of WWD
“Etta Froio was our Grande Dame. She was not only a joy to work with, she was joy to be with and became one of my most valued friends, even after our Fairchild days. And that’s a sentiment many of us share. When I first joined WWD in 1991, I’d known Etta as a legendary presence in Fairchild’s vast newsroom and was drawn to her immediately. I didn’t have a clue about the women’s fashion business, and over the years, she entertained my dopey questions with generosity and patience.
“She was a great beauty and the most elegant person I’ve ever met, with an almost contradictory combination of refinement, toughness, mischievousness and wit. It was those qualities that John Fairchild noticed when his family brought him in from the company’s Paris bureau in 1960 to run the company. Mr. Fairchild wanted complete transformation at WWD. He wanted drama, personality and pizzazz…not just dry business facts and numbers. People drove the business, not numbers, was his mandate. As he told it years later, many of the hard-edged newsroom veterans thought he was some kind of nut and didn’t take him too seriously. He needed an ally. He found it in Etta. As Mr. Fairchild told it, she was always open-minded, ego-free and ready to push creative boundaries. Together, they began the reworking of WWD into a feisty, influential, global force.
“Aside from an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion — she had the respect of every major designer in Paris, Milan and New York — Etta loved art, opera, Siamese cats (named Puccini and Marcello), was a superb chef, a great teacher and a loyal friend. And she had the most sophisticated, simplest style. She was also merciless on the tennis court. We should be celebrating Etta’s rich, full life rather than grieving her. But it’s hard not to feel some heartbreak from this loss.”
Robert Duffy, cofounder and former president of Marc Jacobs International
“She was the first person to look at the Marc Jacobs Collection. It was called Sketchbook. I called her and barely knew her. I said, ‘Do you mind coming up? And she was like, ‘No, not at all.’ And she came up and she was unbelievable. She was so fantastic. Literally, she said, ‘I’m going to get a photographer and provide a model.’ We were on the cover the next day. People were so freaked out. From that day on, she was so incredibly supportive and kind.
“Etta was the person who introduced me to John Fairchild, and made sure I had lunch with him. If I had any questions about the business part of fashion, she was there. And from what I know, it was very similar for other people. She was there to nurture whom she felt were talented people. She was so instrumental in the success of our business, you can’t imagine. People don’t understand what she did behind the scenes because she was so humble.”
Giancarlo Giammetti
“Etta was not only a remarkable journalist; she was a unique voice in fashion journalism. She observed our world with insight, curiosity and a perspective that was entirely her own. Her impact on generations across the fashion world was profound, but above all, I will remember her as a loyal friend. My heartfelt condolences go to her family and loved ones.”
Donatella Versace
“Gianni and I respected Etta enormously and were so grateful for her support in the early years of the company. She was a great editor and a true champion of Italian fashion. May she rest in peace.”
Vera Wang
“I loved Etta so much. She and I go back. I started [my bridal business] in 1989, so 37 years ago. What I loved about Etta was her kindness. She had an extraordinary eye, she was an incredible journalist, an incredible editor, and incredible manager. I always felt very embraced by her, and Patrick [McCarthy] and this group. I felt honored to have known her. It’s a whole other era. Those were extraordinary years, not just for American fashion, but [WWD] covered the world. She helped shape and develop so much talent. She was always so gracious and so intelligent, and I always loved her.”
Bridget Foley, former executive editor of WWD
“If there exists an example of the fusion of dedication and perspective, Etta Froio is it. Etta loved fashion — its magnitude, its artistry, its quirks, its outsized personalities, the whole proverbial ‘fashion world’ and she loved her role in it. She was very humble about that role, which she saw in purely journalistic terms: to cover the industry, both on and off the runway. As such, Etta never got swept up in fabulousness; through decades and decades of access to the top designers in the world, she remained firmly grounded, sans a shred of pretension. She never thought of herself as hot stuff.
“Etta hired me at WWD, my second job out of school. I was young, and Etta was this imposing industry figure. It took me a while to learn that she was irreverent and witty, and, most important, highly approachable, an invaluable quality to me, a green arriviste. Etta was demanding and didn’t coddle (WWD was never a place for handholding), but she was patient and nurturing, as long as you worked hard.
“About her lack of grandeur, once I was away, at my parents’ house. This was long before emails and cell phones; staffers typically left just-in-case contact numbers. I was out somewhere and when I got back, my father had a message for me, that Etta Froio had called. ‘She didn’t say, ‘This is Bridget’s boss,’ my father offered, surprised. ‘She said, ‘I work with Bridget. Please have her call me.’ Dad, an upstate New York doctor who found the idea of fashion publishing fancy beyond his comprehension, was blown away by her humility.
“Years later, as I became WWD’s chief critic, Etta and I were a team during collections. I did the writing, and she did the editing, the deadline monitoring, and the photo selections. During Europe this meant working through the layouts with our art director Andrew Flynn, first on the phone, and later, over email. We would close the then-paper in the wee hours — sometimes 2 a.m. Etta pored over every detail, restructuring a sentence of mine or rearranging photos with Andrew, while staying upbeat and making jokes, sometimes about this or that runway look, and often, about my lack of speed. She was tireless. The next morning, she would invariably beat me to our car, and raise an eyebrow when I showed up a few minutes late. Then the whole process would repeat, until we headed for our Delta flight home. I so miss those days, and I will miss Etta. She was an incredible person, a brilliant mentor and a dear, dear friend.”
Suzy Menkes, British journalist and fashion critic
“I do think she was the first person I met who I really felt understood fashion and was proud to understand it. It made me feel very humble in that it was a period in which I, personally, was interested in looking at the beauty and the glamour of the clothes. I never really thought about how the companies were put together. She, of course, supported both sides. She understood, particularly with Yves Saint Laurent, the importance of the person, the personality, but at the same time she understood how the company was growing, the distribution, and all the things that really very few people knew then — and I can assure you many people don’t know now. She was a one and only. Although she semi-retired a long time ago I still imagine that — right to the very end — she would have followed all the things that she was interested in, in fashion. She was just that sort of person.”
“Etta Froio was always on the front lines supporting both established designers and new names. She had an innate sense of curiosity, a very clever wit, and was strong and kind at the same time. She truly had a front row seat to everything that happened in the fashion world as ready-to-wear grew in all the fashion capitals, from Europe to Tokyo to New York. I always loved her sly smile. On top of it all, she was both a journalist and a fashion fan, a rare combination.”
“Etta Froio was one of the true authorities in journalism. She had an incredible eye for talent and understood that fashion was about culture, creativity and business all at once. She leaves behind a remarkable legacy and will be deeply missed by the entire fashion community.”
Rebecca Moses
“I knew Etta since I was 18 as a young designer just out of school. She watched us all grow up. When I lived in Milan, as creative director for Genny and later I started my own brand, in those days there were not a lot of Americans in Italy, but we were so happy when Etta arrived. We felt she held us all together and helped us cope with all the stress and pressures. After my husband died, she came to the memorial in New York, and I had breakfast with her. She asked me how I was doing and told me to just take my time. She said, ‘You are in shock, don’t make any rash decisions.’ She just got me. She was so smart. She just set a gold standard for journalism for the fashion world and she respected the industry so much. That was so rare. Such a lady. Such a leader. She had compassion, but she was tough and she knew how to balance all those qualities.”
Mort Sheinman, former managing editor of WWD
“Etta Froio was special. She was my colleague for almost 40 years, and in all that time, she was a voice of calm in what was often otherwise a tumultuous newsroom. She personified class, dedication and the ability to keep everyone around her on an even keel. I am gratified to have known and worked with her.”
Sonya Caproni
“Etta and I met over 50 years ago while attending the Paris collections. I can honestly say that she was one of the most influential people in my life. Watching her operate gracefully in a very competitive environment was like taking a master class in how to ‘Keep Calm and Carry On.’ She usually got the story first while making a lot of people smile along the way. Her people skills, generosity and sense of humor will stay with me forever.”
Jaqui Lividini
“Etta was the unofficial godmother of the fashion industry. In a field that could often be demanding and unsparing, she was generous. Where others were critical, she was encouraging. Where others guarded their influence, she used hers to champion emerging talent and open doors for the next generation.
“For me, Etta was my North Star for what a woman leader could be: accomplished without arrogance, powerful without intimidation, and respected without ever sacrificing her humanity. She taught me that true leadership is not about power, but about grace.
“Her influence extended far beyond fashion, into the lives and careers of countless people she mentored, encouraged, and believed in. There is simply no one else like her.”
Diane von Furstenberg
“With Etta gone, an entire dynasty of the history of American fashion is gone. There was John [Fairchild] and there was Etta, and there was Eleanor Lambert. These were the pioneers who promoted American fashion.”
Bobbi Queen, former fashion editor, WWD
“I certainly learned a lot from her. The joy of working with her was her sense of humor and her fairness. She was just so incredibly fair and she was a great teacher. She was very loved, and it’s a tremendous loss.”
Joe Cicio
“Etta was a class act all through her career, a true professional and a delight as a friend. She was an important member of our New York Checkin Club where we would enjoy a creative Checkin dinner at a member’s home once a month with such joys as Eleanor Lambert, Elsa Klensch, Gene Hovis, and the list goes on. She always brought a smile to my face and heart.”
Charlie Gould, executive vice president, corporate strategy, Ruder Finn
“I first met Etta as a college intern in 1992. She was a legendary figure in the newsroom, even then. I was struck by her presence, her sense of style and her mastery of the fashion world. She was a giant among giants at WWD and beyond, and I understood that immediately. But for me personally, Etta’s greatest impact was a masterclass in how to treat people. Etta treated me as if I were a respected, accomplished peer rather than a college kid with a lot to learn about fashion and journalism. Etta was tough but fair, and she set the highest standards. I learned that firsthand by sitting with her one-on-one when she often edited my copy. It was at once terrifying and extremely valuable. I learned how to report from the best. But what I really learned from Etta was the value of surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me and who also happen to exude kindness and decency. I was lucky to have that opportunity with Etta. That’s a lesson that has served me well ever since.”
– With contributions from David Moin, Luisa Zargani and Samantha Conti
