In a shift, Francesco Risso toasts the outlandish and realism with a sculptural touch.
MARNI’s Francesco Risso approaches the ready-to-wear lines with all the gravitas of an architect commissioned to design a monument in a far-fetched realm. He sets himself apart from all the world’s downturns to focus on—though some might say obsess over—more abstract matters like beauty and surrealism, fabric and construction, adopting an intellectual approach that can sometimes get ponderous.
But the creative director has been lightening up of late, and his SS25 collection proved that outlandish and severe can happily coexist. Using cotton in a wacky scale of muted colours – red, white sharp blues, and black – Risso cut slim pants, wide-fitted skirts, and sculptural dresses that are bound to please his discerning clientele.
“I have to say, if I have to title it, that there was a sensual beauty routine or ritual,” Risso opined backstage post-show. “It’s about the idea of the thread of cotton – the collection is completely made out of this fabric—which is the most resistant symbol that we chose to think about when we talk about velocity.” Details are dazzlingly precise, but skill takes time to flourish. It’s the kind of approach that benefits from close scrutiny by a fond connoisseur.
“There are few things in life that move us here to there quite like the pursuit of the sublime. Beauty is a velocity, not a destination,” detail the notes, explaining the homage to velocity which “acts as a conduit for the electricity of enchantment”.
Furthering Francesco Risso’s oeuvre, this collection strips back the spectacle of the fashion show for a more quiet yet profound transformation, emphasising a continuous return to the art and heart of craft making. “This season has been about enveloping ourselves in this continuous challenge, and chasing beauty in the details that are part of our DNA,” opined Risso, whose workmanship came through in a really soulful manner and made for compelling craft.
“It’s who we are, as we like things that are bold and intuitive, feeling like they’re growing from afar” he explains, adding how important “[Details] are to us as well as blurring the lines.” Risso updated his hallmark styles decking a unique vocabulary of soft elements: roses, rhinestones and scraps, with pages of literature, hand-pasted onto jerseys to embrace the organic form.
Marni’s creative practice is always about surprises and theatrics, with seasons mostly distinguished by a pool of techniques that define the ethos. Spring found scores played by Dev Hynes featuring only three pianos that were played, in turn, by Hynes, Sharleen Chidiac and Adam Tendler.
They came from the compositions of Julius Eastman, whose works are meant to be experienced live due to their troubling tempos and soaring climaxes. And that’s enough because the workmanship of these clothes is truly brilliant, and always worth coming back for.
by Chidozie Obasi