The creative director leaves the Milanese maison after ten years.
After almost a decade at the helm of the creative direction of Marni, Francesco Risso takes leave of the Milanese maison. The news was made official with a joint note by the OTB group and the designer himself, who with words full of gratitude greeted an experience that he defines “much more than he could have imagined”. His instinctive and profoundly emotional vision has transformed Marni into a creative laboratory open to cultural, artistic and sensory contamination.
The beginning of Francesco Risso
Born in Genoa in 1983 and raised between La Spezia and Tuscany, Risso is formed between Polimoda in Florence, Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Central Saint Martins in London. Before landing in Marni, he works for Anna Molinari and then enters the Prada style office, where he will remain over ten years, collaborating in close contact with Miuccia Prada. It is in 2016 that he was chosen to succeed Consuelo Castiglioni, founder and historical soul of the brand. A delicate passage, in which Risso manages to renew the brand without betraying its essence.
The vision of Francesco Risso for Marni
Francesco Risso’s Marni immediately stands out for a bold, childish and intellectual visual language at the same time. His collections tell intimate and theatrical stories, with exaggerated volumes, naive prints and a heated color palette. His work feeds on contemporary art, music and subcultures, with a preference for imperfect and unconventional. The fashion shows often become real immersive performances, in which fashion dialogues with choreography, sound and environment.
The expansion of the menswear and artistic collaborations
Under his guide, Marni enhances the men’s line, making it the protagonist of a more fluid and personal narrative. Risso also inaugurates a season of collaborations with artists and creatives, from itinerant performances to capsules with Carhartt Wip, consolidating the identity of Marni as an open space and in continuous transformation. In particular, the “global” fashion shows – from Tokyo to New York, passing through Milan – strengthen the international vocation of the maison.
The visionary legacy of Francesco Risso
In taking leave, Risso called Marni a “study, a stage, a dream”. An experience that taught him the strength of collaboration and the value of feeling in the construction of a brand identity. The president of Otb, Renzo Rosso, recognized a unique artist in him, capable of interpreting the spirit of the brand with originality and depth.
«Francesco embraced the spirit and values of the maison and, together with the team, brought them to new horizons, building the foundations for a new and exciting chapter of Marni. Francesco is a unique designer and a real artist, I wish him all the best for the future, “said Rosso.
The legacy that Risso leaves is that of a brand that has been able to evolve without losing its poeticity. “And now at the next extraordinary trips!”
