Mykki Blanco and Zsela model the Fall-Winter 2021-2022 Marni collection

If you can’t access nature outdoors, then why not bring nature into your home? At least that’s how Marni has chosen to present its Fall-Winter 2021-2022 collection. Through five very short videos filmed in the intimacy of an apartment by the American artist Wu Tsang – who recently had a major solo exhibition at the Lafayette Anticipations Foundation – and his regular collaborator Boychild, the artistic director of the Italian house Francesco Risso has conceived an environment conducive to conversation, conviviality and creation, from early morning right through to dusk. Some of the models are busy in a kitchen full of plants, others dance on the tables, eat lunch, chat, amuse themselves. You can even hear the dulcet tones of the singer Zsela, strolling between the rooms of the studio. The atmosphere is serene and the pleasures are simple. Everything comes together to share the vision of a certain romanticism, starting with the new pieces proposed by the Italian designer for the house.

Once again, Francesco Risso perpetuates his love for experimentation and shows his infinite respect for craftsmanship: trousers are hand-dyed, multicoloured jumpers are made of crochet, thick jackets are quilted or made of faux fur while necklaces by jewellery designer Tom Binns prove the value of reusing what already exists, mixing chains and ribbons with small objects. But beyond this “arts and crafts” aesthetic, Marni also expresses its vision of romanticism through baroque cuts and silhouettes with frilled shirts, gathered or ruffled skirts, dresses with cinched waists and balloon sleeves, and above all ensembles playing on layers and contrasts of volume, such as the oversized padded coats that envelope the body like huge down jackets. Evolving between reds, pinks, purples and blues, the tones of the collection blend into one other on the pieces or create distinct oppositions, between the lining and the outsides of jackets or in the two-tone brown and black aspect of the leather of other coats. Worn by Zsela, the queer rapper Mykki Blanco and guitarist Steff Stover, in saturated clichés, the outfits clearly place the collection at the doorstep of a reality where colours and materials intermingle to allow joy and hope speak for themselves.