MARNI
Multidimensionality is a living matter for Francesco Risso, creative director of Marni. Born into a diverse family with a nomadic lifestyle, Risso spent his youth constantly traveling before settling in Genoa. The family, full of characters and their wardrobes, revealed to young Francesco the power of clothing: he soon began creating his own garments using those of others as a way to make himself heard. Having chosen fashion as his life path, Francesco Risso attended Polimoda in Florence, then moved to New York where he earned a degree in Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and finally completed his studies with a master's degree from Central Saint Martins in London. These three institutions offered him a comprehensive view of what fashion is, as a design discipline and artistic endeavor. Back in Genoa, Francesco Risso created a label of limited edition pieces and opened a boutique, until he joined Anna Molinari's creative team. This was followed by positions at Alessandro Dell'Acqua and Malo, until he landed at Prada, where he worked for ten years on women's fashion collections and special projects, absorbing an intensely cerebral yet highly practical work method. In 2016, Francesco Risso moved to Marni, where he was appointed creative director, naturally resonating with the brand's free and idiosyncratic personality. In a short time, he shaped Marni's identity into a completely new entity, consistent with its roots but entirely his own, attracting a new polymorphic audience. Francesco Risso approaches fashion creation as a gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art: he merges languages and disciplines into a multifaceted whole, anticipating a processual aesthetic embodied through interconnected media rooted in the materiality of clothing but brought to life through fashion shows, collaborations, and store experiences. By involving like-minded colleagues in the same creative synergy, he fosters dialogue as the brand's fuel. Through his love of storytelling, Francesco Risso continues to shape Marni into a laboratory community driven by unrestrained multidimensionality
