After the epic and touching Marni show in September, reviewing resort feels like watching a thriller on Netflix in rewind mode, a rather twisted perspective, really. But a degree of serpentine thinking is expected from Francesco Risso. That the spring catwalk was conceived like a spiral is telling of the ways in which his work is becoming increasingly supple, like an open-source artistic practice. A similar elasticity is required to crack his layered message.
Circularity in the transmission of knowledge and ideas is pivotal for Risso; he believes that human connection is a powerful agent for the shared creativity he’s putting at the core of his message. Since the start of Marnifesto a few seasons ago, interacting with like-minded friends—artists, musicians, performers, and other members of his fashion crew—has been essential to his practice and to shaping the corollary of performative activations he’s increasingly drawn to.
Resort served as a sort of incubator/rehearsal for the joyous sense of community that peaked in the emotional spring celebration. The imagery was shot in Milan, with the crew driving a vanful of clothes through the city to photograph the many friends of Marni in their neighborhoods or in their homes. Each of them chose to wear their favorite look. “They’ve been very active in the conversation to shape what Marni is becoming today,” said Risso on a Zoom call from his studio. “I’m obsessed with expanding the dialogue to a constructive, joyful level, to include and engage diverse contributions as much as I can. I crave human connection; I’m striving for it—my work is all about humanity. I’m not interested in fashion bubbles of any sort. I don’t want to be the only storyteller in the narration.”
During his tenure at Marni, Risso has established a series of identifiers, “our treasures,” he calls them. They were reiterated here, as he believes it’s important for us to emphasize them, “because it just takes a minute to lose your identity in the maze of today’s futility.” Hand-painted florals; check, tartan, and windowpane patterns; supple tailoring and imaginative sportswear; striped cardis in fuzzy mohair—it was all combined à la Marni, in a highly individual, stylish version of freestyle grunge.
Risso puts his work in perspective: “Good design helps people live better,” he said. “I want to make clothes that bring joy and happiness to people. Fashion is part of a wider cultural context where all art forms are amalgamated. It can be such a powerful vector of energy. My message is to pass the baton from one to the other. Energy can be regenerated and reproduced only if it circulates.” So true. Fashion can contribute to bringing about change only if it’s able to connect.
