Francesco Risso has led Marni since 2016, bringing a 21st-century Renaissance through innovative sartorial storytelling. His attention to detail and Italian craftsmanship blend seamlessly with his vivid imagination. With a childhood at sea and an adolescence in Italy's '90s subculture, Risso has transformed Marni into a brand with a passionate fan base.
Growing up in a noisy family, Risso turned to fashion as a form of communication, scavenging pieces from relatives' wardrobes. At sixteen, he left for Florence to study at Polimoda, later attending FIT in New York and earning an M.A. from Central Saint Martins. After working with top designers like Anna Molinari, Risso joined Prada in 2006 before becoming Marni's creative director.
At Marni, Risso honors the brand's eccentric legacy while reinventing experimental fashion. He treats design as a ""gesamtkunstwerk""—a total work of art—merging technique, theory, and naturalistic influences.

Photo: Francesco Risso, courtesy of MARNI