Marni’s Spring-Summer 2025 show at Milan Fashion Week was a captivating exploration of the sublime, a journey into a world where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. The show began with a cryptic message on Instagram: “If you follow, you will find me where it all began.” The message hinted at a sense of discovery, a journey into the unknown, and an awareness of the beauty that surrounds us. The show’s set was a carefully curated tapestry of imagery, evoking a sense of childhood wonder. Balloons, cacti, a dog with its stuffed animal, and shoes – all symbols of unexpected creativity – painted a picture of a world where imagination reigns supreme. Creative Director Francesco Risso channeled the perspective of a child lost in a magical forest, playing with their fantasies. Marni transformed a physical space into an abstract dimension, defying the boundaries of reality while remaining undeniably tangible. The show unfolded in a crescendo, accompanied by a haunting soundtrack by Dev Hynes. Inspired by the compositions of Julius Eastman and performed by Sharleen Chidiac and Adam Tendler, the music intensified the emotional impact of the collection. The show featured a departure from the traditional runway format, replacing the usual energetic models with fantastical creatures moving in groups of three, lost in their own world. Eva Herzigova, Irina Shayk, Paloma Elsesser, and Anok Yai graced the runway, transformed into characters from a contemporary fairy tale. The collection was a riot of textures and embellishments, defying conventional notions of beauty. Bicorns reminiscent of Napoleon’s hat or shaped like ships, feathers, exaggerated black eyebrows, colorful roses as prints, embellishments, and luminous applications woven into three-dimensional fabrics, hand-torn book pages pasted onto garments, a portrait of Dante Alighieri, a painting of a female nude seen from behind, an illustration of Bambi – these elements combined to create a fragmented yet elevated sense of beauty. Marni presented a beauty that is both fragmented and elevated, reduced to its purest form. As a natural extension of the body, the lines and volumes of the garments were simplified compared to previous approaches by the designer: capes and cloaks, voluminous skirts and elastic dresses, skinny trousers and exaggerated shoulders that didn’t hide the shapes, but outlined them without constricting them. “Beauty? Boooo!” was the playful message that appeared throughout the show, challenging the conventional definition of beauty. Beauty was presented as a playful surprise, a delightful shock that provokes a sense of wonder. “Beauty is a white rabbit running through your garden. You chase it. Even if you don’t catch it, in the crazy race you find a wonderful place,” wrote Francesco Risso in the show notes. “Beauty is a speed, not a destination. And Marni’s romanticism lies in the ephemeral and persistent desire to chase rabbits.”
Marni’s Spring-Summer 2025 Show at Milan Fashion Week: A Quest for the Sublime
