Along with his wife, Patrizia, son Leo, and dog Pierivo, Antonio Marras spent the months between March and September at his home in southern Sardinia, at first locked down under law and afterward hunkered down by choice. During that time, Marras fashioned this womenswear collection and a menswear equivalent that was all-Sardinian, nose-to-tail. All of the fabrics were from his archives or produced by local artisans; the work to fashion them was all done chez Marras, and this beautiful look book featuring two sets of Alghero-cast twins (including his local pharmacists) and the daughters of a neighbor were all shot within a kilometer of the family house.
By looking inward Marras expanded his vision, mixing tapestry, floral jacquard, reworked military pieces, and hand-drawn and embroidered shirting, plus romantically faded velvets into a siren song ode to home. There was a story line in the background about different islands, and different points of departure, encounter, and return, but this was just scene setting for a collection that didn’t demand it. It was sad to make an impromptu visit to Marras’s Milan store and showroom during the July menswear week and discover the gates closed and the lights dimmed. But to know that Marras and his crew were sequestered offshore enjoying a high tide moment of creativity as they span these yarns made for a happy postscript.
