Marni Marni Marni

Characterised by bold colours, unusual shapes and idiosyncratic prints, MARNI is an inventive label, distinct in the fashion landscape and with a uniquely symbiotic relationship with the art world. Under Creative Director Consuelo Castiglioni the brand has profited from a string of collaborative ventures, including print designs by Richard Prince, Sir Peter Blake and Kim Gordon, and an installation with architect Matteo Thun for the courtyard of a MARNI boutique. More recently, French artist Claude Caillol was recruited for a ‘Plastics’ collection of PVC bags, and UK artist Gary Hume for a capsule T-shirt collection, both as part of the AW 2010-11 line. While Caillol is known for his free-spirited illustrations and Hume for colourful, simplified abstract designs, both artists are well-suited to MARNI, and its lively, upbeat aesthetic.

Consuelo Castiglioni had no formal training in fashion design, yet - with each new MARNI line as original as the last and every boutique styled on a different concept - her creativity seems limitless. Dazed talks to Castiglioni about her two latest collaborations, and why she feels the brand is so well suited to artsy partnerships of this kind.

DD: The two new MARNI collaborations with Gary Hume and Claude Caillol; how did these come about?
Consuelo Castiglioni: I saw both artists during visits to galleries, and really admired their work. I had a book at home of Gary Hume, and while flicking through it occurred to me that his designs would fit perfectly in the women’s AW10 collection. Claude Caillol, on the other hand, was invited to our workshop to customise MARNI shopping bags. The results were eventually printed on PVC tote bags for our winter range.

DD: What is it about an artist that makes them click with the MARNI style?
Consuelo Castiglioni: Creative energy, and a strong sense of colour. Art for me means an immense, unbounded world of ideas, images, colours, details and solutions.

DD: What creative resources do you draw on when you're designing?
Consuelo Castiglioni: I am inspired by everything that surrounds me. I am inspired by nature, art, music, and different cultures. Life itself is inspiring.

DD: To what extent do you think art and fashion inform each other nowadays?
Consuelo Castiglioni: I think that fashion and art are closely linked to each other, and always have been. They are both an expression of the Zeitgeist. A dress could be seen as a piece of art, but a piece of art with added value in its functionality. A beautiful dress requires very fine craftsmanship.

DD: If you could collaborate with any artist, alive or dead, who would it be?
Consuelo Castiglioni: Robert Rauschenberg

DD: Why does MARNI avoid advertising?
Consuelo Castiglioni: The MARNI vision is communicated to a wider public through our stores and our fashion shows. We want our customers to feel free to interpret our collections in any way that they choose.

DD: If you could use three words to describe the MARNI label, what would they be?
Consuelo Castiglioni: Eclectic, unexpected and versatile.

DD: What are you wearing today?
Consuelo Castiglioni: A black skirt with a white sequin trim from the new summer 2011 edition (I’m so in love with it, I couldn’t wait), a black and green vertical striped knit top from the SS10 collection, and a MARNI necklace, of course! I love the fact that pieces from different collections and different seasons can be easily mixed.