Men’s / Out of The Studio. Marni SS18

June 18, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although Francesco Risso‘s third collection for Marni wasn’t well-received by the critics, his spring-summer 2018 collection works like a charm as for me. The collection has a lot to do with Marni’s main house-code: utility-meets-edgy. These clothes are the right fit for men, who like it slightly too big and comfortable simultaneously- but not falling into passé normcore or the up-and-coming corpcore. For Risso, style is arty, most of all. That’s why he invited octogenarian ceramic artist Magdalena Suarez to make prints for his intriguingly tailored shirts. I doubt any artist wears Marni while painting or sculpting – but the “out of the studio” look matches the label’s sophisticated aesthetic. Some of the styling indirectly refers to Prada (Francesco used to work for Miuccia) or Raf Simons kind of appearance – see the striped tank-top worn with a man-skirt hybrid or the slouchy voluminous suits. But who isn’t inspired with these two nowadays?

Collage by Edward Kanarecki (backdrop featuring Joan Miro’s ‘Self-Portrait’ from 1938 & Ugo Rodinone’s ‘Clown’ sculptures).

Stangeness and Charm. Marni AW17

February 27, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Francesco Risso is Consuelo Castiglioni’s successor at Marni, and yesterday we’ve seen his first collection for the brand’s womenswear line. He used to work at the design studio of Miuccia Prada, so no wonder why off-beat femininity is rooted in his aesthetic; leading Marni, Milan’s most avant-garde house, means that he needs to communicate the way Castiglioni did. Mixing contemporary with old; unconventional prints (most likely, really bold florals) and strangest textiles; experimenting with the garment’s silhouette. In his autumn-winter 2017 collection, Risso checked all the points with success, sending a line of models sashaying in synthetic, fluffy furs, colourful raincoats and heavily sequined dresses (best in the brightest shade of turquoise you’ve ever seen). But Marni is also known for its architectural approach to footwear, whether we’re speaking of platform sandals or ornamented heels. Francesco achieved the ‘beautiful ugliness’ with mid-length, patent boots, elevated by fur sticking out at the top.

Men’s – Francesco Risso. Marni AW17

January 15, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

In the fashion industry, and precisely in Milan, there are two types of debuts. Like Alessandro Michele at Gucci, where he scored ten marks out of ten from the editors and buyers; and like, for example, at Roberto Cavalli or Jil Sander, where even the term ‘debut’ doesn’t make anyone ecctatic. Francesco Risso‘s debut collection at Marni falls into the latter camp – in fact, some of the least-informed guests could have thought it’s just another great Marni collection, without any big changes going on. A Prada alumni, who was raised on Miuccia Prada’s and Consuelo Castiglioni’s (Marni’s founder) neo-Italian aesthetic, presented his first collection for the conceptual brand in form of a menswear show. Lanky-looking models with long hair wore fluffy shearling coats, checked sweatpants, too-big trousers and 70s striped knits. Lemon-yellow sweatshirt with a fur lining looked equally Marni-geek, as the colourful beanies and pajama shirts. You can’t judge a designer by his first collection, but I’m quite sure Risso’s Marni won’t go through collossal rebranding and major advertising campaign, like Gucci or Balenciaga did in the past months. It’s quintessentially Marni – and who doesn’t love Marni as it is?