Just as there are Philo-files, there are Consuelo Castiglioni-buffs who pine for the Marni of yore and its bourgeois-meets-bohemia sweet spot.
In her debut collection for the house, Belgian designer Meryll Rogge dipped into that fertile fashion ground, opening her show with a fuzzy knee-length coat and reprising the kitten-heel footbed sandals that — worn with gray ankle socks — thrust you right back to the founder’s glory days.
Ditto the oversized sequins trembling in neat rows on the front of gauzy tops, and the tartan shirts with broderie anglaise collars.
The accessories, including the chunky metal jewelry somewhere between pastoral and arty, stood out in this uneven show. Many shoes and bags had a Western twang, including fun pony-print calfskin boots and top-handle bags with intricate embroideries and demonstrative hardware.
Many of the clothes were rooted in the ’90s, exemplified by zippered nylon dresses and boxy three-button blazers for men. They also had a thrift-shop patina not dissimilar from Dario Vitale’s one-and-done collection for Versace.
Hinged on boxy cardigans, extra long shirts and wide pants, the menswear fell somewhere between grandpa, grunge and cowboy, and somehow brought to mind the brainy fashion YouTuber Bliss Foster.
The women’s clothing had character, and a youthful spirit, but could use more luxury polish.
To be sure, Rogge was handed a tough assignment at a brand that was yanked in a more experimental direction — couture-like for her, streetwear-oriented for him — by her predecessor Francesco Risso, recently named creative director of Fast Retailing’s GU brand.
OTB Group, which has owned Marni since 2012, recently reported a steep drop in 2025 operating margins partly due to changes in creative direction at Margiela, Jil Sander and Marni, which led to “a complete revisitation of the offer,” and devaluation of carryovers.
A 2008 graduate of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rogge worked under Marc Jacobs and Dries Van Noten before launching her signature brand 2020, which she is expected to continue alongside Marni.
