A white rabbit darts across a crimson-lit maze, leading fashion enthusiasts down a sartorial rabbit hole. This isn’t a scene from Lewis Carroll’s imagination, but the setting for the Marni SS2025 collection VOL.2 show. Creative director Francesco Risso has once again blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, inviting the audience into a world where fashion becomes a conduit for enchantment.
A Wonderland of Design
The Marni SS2025 Collection Vol.2 unfolds in a setting that defies convention. Gone is the traditional runway, replaced by a labyrinthine arrangement of wooden seats. Low, red lighting bathes the space, creating an atmosphere of intimate discovery. At the heart of this unconventional stage sit three pianos, silent sentinels waiting to burst into life.
This backdrop isn’t merely decorative; it’s an integral part of the collection’s narrative. The maze-like layout echoes the collection’s theme of pursuit and discovery, while the red lighting hints at the passion and creativity poured into each piece. It’s a physical manifestation of Risso’s philosophy: beauty is not a destination, but a velocity.
The Art of Essentialism
Marni’s latest offering is a study of what one might call “radical essentialism.” The collection strips fashion back to its fundamental elements—thread, fabric, form—and then rebuilds it in unexpected ways. Cotton, leather, and suede form the foundation, serving as canvases for an array of artistic expressions.
Observers witness a play of proportions that challenges conventional silhouettes. Oversized jackets pair with slim trousers, and voluminous skirts contrast with fitted tops. Yet, despite these seeming contradictions, the collection maintains a cohesive narrative, each piece flowing naturally into the next.
Weaving Stories into Fabric
One of the most intriguing aspects of the collection is its integration of literature. Pages of text hand-pasted onto jerseys transform garments into wearable stories. This fusion of fashion and literature invites the wearer to become part of a larger narrative, each outfit a chapter in an ongoing tale.
It’s clear, by now, that the Marni SS2025 collection doesn’t just clothe the body; it also engages the mind. It prompts reflection on the stories we carry with us, both literally and figuratively, in our daily lives.
A Symphony of Fashion
As the eyes feast on the visual spectacle of the Marni SS2025 collection, another layer of experience unfolds, enveloping the audience in a rich auditory landscape. The show’s soundtrack, as meticulously crafted as the garments themselves, features live piano performances by Dev Hynes, Sharleen Chidiac, and Adam Tendler. Drawing inspiration from Julius Eastman’s compositions, the music weaves an invisible thread through the space, complementing the collection’s theme of continuous discovery and transformation.
The interplay between sight and sound creates a synesthetic experience, where the boundaries between senses blur. As models move through the space in groups of three, their paths are as unpredictable as the designs they showcase, and the music ebbs and flows, guiding the audience through this fashion wonderland. This choreography, crafted by Sharleen Chidiac, evokes the feeling of wandering through an enchanted forest, each turn revealing new wonders, each piano note a breadcrumb on this sartorial journey.
The result is a fully immersive experience that engages not just the eyes, but the ears and imagination as well. It’s as if the very essence of Marni’s creative vision has been translated into sound, allowing the audience to not just see, but hear and feel the collection’s themes of exploration and transformation.
The Marni Ethos
At its core, the Marni SS2025 collection embodies the brand’s ethos of challenging traditional fashion codes. It celebrates individuality, embracing the quirky and the unconventional. The collection is a testament to Marni’s unique approach to materials, colours, prints, and shapes.
This season’s offerings continue Marni’s tradition of holding a constant dialogue with the art world. The result is a collection that feels less like a commercial endeavour and more like a collaborative art project, inviting the wearer to participate in its ongoing creation.
More Than Clothes: A New Perspective
What sets this collection apart is not just its avant-garde designs, but the perspective it offers. It challenges viewers to see beauty in unexpected places, to find wonder in the pursuit rather than the attainment. The Marni Spring/Summer 2025 VOL.2 show is a reminder that fashion, at its best, is about more than clothes. It’s about dreams, stories, and the endless possibilities of human creativity.
In a world often focused on destinations, Marni invites us to appreciate the journey. The collection encourages wearers to embrace the unexpected, to find joy in the chase, and to see every day as an opportunity for discovery.
As the fashion world continues to evolve, Marni stands as a beacon for those who seek something beyond the ordinary. The Spring/Summer 2025 VOL.2 collection is not just a line of clothing; it’s an invitation to see the world through a different lens, to chase white rabbits, and to find wonder in the pursuit of beauty.
