Another quintessential visionary joins the industry-wide Creative Director unrest with the announcement of Francesco Risso’s exit from Marni.
Key Takeaways:
- Marni’s future direction remains a critical watchpoint, as OTB signals a “new phase” that may prioritize scalability and market growth over long-term artistic experimentation.
- Francesco Risso is exiting Marni after an eight-year tenure that redefined the house’s aesthetic with emotionally expressive, art-driven design.
- OTB Group has not yet named a successor, but the appointment will complete a broader creative reshuffle following changes at Jil Sander and Maison Margiela.
- The departure underscores ongoing volatility in creative leadership across luxury fashion, as brands face mounting pressure to balance identity with commercial performance.
- OTB’s current slate of creative directors is entirely male, prompting potential scrutiny as the group makes its next strategic appointment for Marni.
Francesco Risso is exiting Marni after almost a decade at the creative helm, marking the end of an emblematic chapter that redefined the Italian house’s aesthetic identity. His departure, confirmed by OTB Group on Tuesday, comes amid an industry-wide churn of creative leadership, spotlighting the increasing pressure for constant reinvention in luxury fashion. While no successor has been named, OTB CEO Stefano Rosso noted a forthcoming “new phase” for the brand—one that signals a recalibration of Marni’s strategic direction.
Appointed in 2016 following the exit of founder Consuelo Castiglioni, Risso was met with skepticism, with critics pointing to his limited experience in leading a brand. Yet over time, he painted a visual portrait of Marni uniquely his own—one that fused conceptual eccentricity with an almost adolecent sense of rebellion. The artist’s tenure saw Marni shift away from its rigid minimalism into a more emotionally expressive, color-saturated terrain actualizing a fluency between fine art and luxury into an imaginative realm that resonated with both the fashion vanguard and younger audiences who seek authenticity and cultural ambiguity.
Risso’s exit reflects broader volatility in creative leadership across the industry. His departure follows a string of high-profile changes, including Gabriela Hearst at Chloé, Sarah Burton at McQueen, and Jonathan Anderson at Loewe. Although Risso’s successor has yet to be named, the appointment will round out a broader creative reshuffle within not only the industry but the OTB Group. Following Simone Bellotti’s recent arrival at Jil Sander and Glenn Martens’s expanded remit overseeing both Maison Margiela and Diesel, the group’s top-performing brand, this shift marks a consolidation of vision across OTB’s portfolio, emphasizing strong singular voices with crossover influence.
Notably, with the exit of Lucie Meier from Jil Sander, OTB’s current slate of creative leads follows an unmistakable pattern within the creative leadership of the industry at large: it is entirely male. Now in possession of one of the last open creative seats, this should prompt internal reflection as the group considers the next chapter for Marni. Historically, OTB has favored bold, unconventional thinkers in its appointments, and the forthcoming decision will likely reflect both strategic priorities and evolving industry expectations around representation and leadership. While each brand cites creative evolution, the subtext is often tied to commercial outcomes and the increasing demand for measurable growth. In Risso’s case, Marni maintained cultural relevance by championing the convergence of art with luxury, and now OTB’s dialogue around a “new phase” may suggest a more market-oriented recalibration ahead.
As the fashion industry continues to weigh the value of long-term creative vision against short-term performance metrics, Risso’s departure raises a familiar but urgent question: can a designer still shape a brand over time without being swept away by shifting business needs? Marni’s next move will be observed closely—not only for who steps in but for what direction the house chooses to pursue in an era where identity and agility are increasingly at odds.
By Sonya Moore