September 26, 2020 |
In lieu of staging a socially-distanced catwalk, Marni creative director Francesco Risso thought on a worldwide scale. During a time of great divide – both physically and in a political sense – the designer brought together his global creative community in a 15-minute documentary-cum-coming of age film dubbed Marnifest.
“This one is not about the clothing. And yet it is all clothing,” said Risso, who is approaching his fifth year at the Milanese house, a quite remarkable accolade amidst today’s ever-changing fashion cycle. He called upon the help of 48 artists, actors and musicians from New York to London, all the way to Dakar and Shanghai. The likes of Yves Tumor, Mykki Blanco and Moses Sumney wore pieces from the collection as they went about their everyday. Some shopped for groceries, others explored the city at night; jumping in and out of Ubers and grabbing late-night bites to eat. London-based drag artist Tom Glitter even offered an impromptu piano performance, all dolled up in a pink trench plastered with words from the designer’s friends and family.
The collection is made up of Risso’s own personal favourites from the Marni archive, which he went on to re-create, deconstruct and put them together once more to birth new, exciting silhouettes. A raw celebration of craft, painterly ballgowns and billowing skirts come lopsided, bulging with tulle and vivid strands of yellow and red. Vests are collaged together to create genderless bodycon dresses, worn with boxy outerwear made entirely from coats pulled from old collections. This is Marni’s take on upcycling – both unified and celebratory. A collective effort that celebrated we, not I.
Photography courtesy of Marni.
