Marni FW24 Builds a Modish Universe in a Paper Cave
The line, which cited zero images or references, wanted nothing to do with pre-conceived notions.
In a cave-like tunnel under Milan’s Stazione Centrale, Marni debuted a Fall/Winter 2024 collection that was rid of “any images or references” in its design process. Instead, creative director Francesco Risso covered his studio in blank paper so that he and his team would be forced to birth the label’s fresh fashion identity from ground zero. “As a child, I had no aspirations of becoming a fashion designer,” Risso wrote in his show notes. Hence, there’s an organic nature to the now big-time fashioner’s work, which, in his words, looks to strike a raw cord.
The only influence that Risso allowed was a quote from Virginia Woolf: “If by chance you enter a paper cave, bring no clothes.” Ye and Bianca West were among those who entered Marni’s cavern; however, unlike Woolf’s words might suggest, they, like other guests, were not prompted to strip. Rather, the message served as a metaphorical nudge to let go of the restrictive, pre-conceived notions that might hold one back from fully experiencing the Marni universe. “Here, it’s just us,” the brand wrote of the show on Instagram. “Joy lives in that exchange.”
Marni’s first blissful designs included conservative dresses with triangular shapes, oversized lapel-laden coats, power-shouldered sweaters and form-fitting mocknecks, in all black. A scribbled black-and-white pattern took over puffer coats of varying lengths, before more dark ensembles, like deep-V gowns, leather blazers, and fur accessories, marched on. Brown towns on formal separates led the way for chaotic cheetah-printed coats, gowns, bags and boots, before more furry creations took form in outerwear.
Colors continued to burst on refreshed takes on the runway’s opening looks, with pale pinks and oranges covering myriad cone-shaped silhouettes. In closing, Risso put artistic prints in kaleidoscopic tones on stiff, scuplutural dresses and jackets. This was Marni’s world, and it’s yours to live in.
See Marni’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Milan Fashion Week coverage.
