Efisio Rocco Marras, Antonio and Patrizia’s eldest son, is 25 years old, yet his resume is already quite impressive. This is only partially due to his privileged upbringing; he has breathed creativity since the cradle. With such parents, both free-spirited forces of nature, it’s very much unlikely that he would’ve become, say, an accountant. But the talent he’s now displaying is only his.
Underneath an apparently restless spirit, Efisio Rocco is equipped with a good dose of determination, and certainly with a thirst for artistic expression. An alumni of Parsons School in Paris, where he studied sculpture, and of Central Saint Martins in London, where he focused on photography and creative writing, he decamped for Temple University in Tokyo where he studied Japanese cinematography. “I just fell hopelessly in love with that culture,” he said. He then moved to New York, where he worked as a studio assistant for Mario Sorrenti. He was fascinated, and decided to pursue a career as a photographer.
Enter papa Antonio, who, during one of Efisio’s visits to the family home in Alghero, Sardinia, asked him, almost out of the blue, to become creative director of I'M Isola Marras, the contemporary, more accessible fashion line he launched in 2007. It was clearly a challenge. “I said to my father: No, no, no! Never! Over my dead body!” explained Efisio with an expression of mock horror. But the idea kept creeping up in his head. “Then I said: Well, why not?”
The budding photographer-cum-designer started working on the collection right away. “I said to Antonio, ‘please do not meddle.’ He kept his word and let me do the job in total freedom.” Being a Marras, it’s obvious that he shares the same visual language. Yet in his first outing he injected a darker, rebellious vibe into the romantic codes that ground Antonio’s vision. Mixed with the Japanese influences he loves, it made for a peculiar combination.
“I was inspired by the character of Mathilda Lando in Luc Besson’s movie Léon. But then I’m obsessed with Masamune Shirow’s manga artworks and the Harajuku’s girly look. It’s quite perverse,” he explained. He put all these ingredients in the blender. Miraculously, they gelled.
The lineup featured hyper-feminine slip dresses in lace and floral patchworks, which were set off against street style–inspired, exaggerated, oversize bombers, sweatshirts, and tracksuits. Kimonos in printed florals, lace pajamas, striped knitwear, and frilly babydoll dresses sat side by side with skimpy black tulle tunics. Pierced basball caps, ripped fishnet stockings, and huge buffalo sneakers complemented the not-so-virginal look. Efisio photographed his girlfriends for the collection’s lookbook, shot in a playground in the neighborhood. The young models caused a stir. “The children went crazy,” laughed the designer. “They couldn’t believe their eyes.”
