Francesco Risso, the mind who spent nearly a decade making Marni… well, Marni, is now jumping ship to GU, the Japanese brand where clothes are cheap enough to be actually worn by us mortals. The very designer whose silhouettes and prints once belonged only in luxury stores, sometimes in our screenshot folders too, will now be dictating trends in a chain with racks of $30 sweaters. I guess high fashion really is going mass-market after all.
When I think of Risso I think of colors, patterns, motifs, textures, and of course, it all happens to have that little Marni tag on the back. But before the worls saw him at Marni in 2016, he’d already paid his dues at Prada, and before that, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, so let’s just say, no fast-fashion here, not even from day one. From Milanese boutiques where a sip of espresso costs more than a GU dress to actual GU stores, where shoppers mingle with bargain hunters, it’s a world apart. So, yes, Fast Retailing signing him wasn’t exactly on anyone’s radar this year. Fast Retailing is the parent company of Uniqlo, sister to GU, all Japanese, affordable, fast, often with a “checking the bank account twice before buying” audience. And don’t forget, the sister company had its playful streak long before Risso arrived, working with JW Anderson, Needles, and Kaws, perhaps even preparing the ground for what was to come.
Risso’s career plot twist is a flashing neon sign for the industry. It forces brands to rethink hierarchy, pricing, and creative control, even the high-end world can no longer ignore the everyday consumer. From the top of a luxury tower, I can picture watching the masses dictate trends, and it must feel… uncomfortable. For GU, it’s instant prestige and global buzz, for shoppers, the thrill of actually getting Risso without mortgaging their apartment. Rest assured, investors, marketers, and designers are taking it all in. If a creative director like Risso can bring his taste to the mainstream, the walls between luxury and accessible design are looking a little thinner.
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