Lucinda Chambers On Marni's New Era
By Lucinda Chambers
Friday 21 October 2016
As Consuelo Castiglioni steps down as creative director at Marni and Francesco Rissi is appointed as her replacement, long-term creative collaborator of the brand Lucinda Chambers, who helped to establish the fashion house with Consuelo and her husband Gianni in 1994, reflects on what has made the brand so special and what the future now looks like.
Marni is and always has been about collaboration, whether that has been with artists or collaborators who are artists, it is at the heart of the world of Marni.
It’s been an incredible privilege to see something really grow from nothing into something that’s recognised all over the world. We were learning as we went along at the start and it was very organic and full of passion. We worked incredibly hard on it, but nothing was ever strategic – everything was done from the heart, and people really got that. We continue to do that.
I think that’s very special to have in a company – no one there is doing it because they want to sell hundreds of pairs of the same trousers. We have always been passionate about colour and print and texture and everything – I’m sure that will remain.
I think when someone has decided to leave, in their head, they have decided to leave a long time ago, I usually find that’s the way. For the last few years Consuelo has been a grandmother and adores her grandchildren, so it is completely understandable. She always wanted to spend time with them and she was very torn, so it will work out for her this way.
The inclusive spirit is a benchmark of the brand and the people who have created that are still there, so it will be an interesting and exciting time to go forward to have a fresh face, who will no doubt immerse himself in the world of Marni.
Molly Molloy, the design director of womenswear, and the team have been incredibly influential in the last few years and what is wonderful is that the brand just seems to get stronger and stronger. When I visit Marni, which is a lot, I am always amazed to see that they have seen every film, every exhibition, every boxset, and they’ve read every book. The whole team are like sponges and are very, very talented. They come from all over the world which makes them very global in their sensibility. The way that they soak up culture is reflected in the brand in a way that I’ve never come across before. It will be interesting to have Francesco on board as he is Italian, so it’s the first time we’ve had that influence. Also to see how a man, and a young man, sees Marni will be interesting as it’s been so female based.
The owner, Renzo Russo, is very supportive of the creative mind and under him we have advertised with artists, which is really unusual. We never advertised before and when he came in he was very open to the suggestion that we would work with artists that didn’t have a fashion background. That was incredibly brave. Let’s hope we continue to make exciting new decisions.
Change is always interesting, whether for the good or the worse. In a funny way, you have to be open to change, otherwise something withers and dies.
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