How many steps is it from the KaDeWe to the Uniqlo store on the Tauentzien? Just 100, 150 maybe? And yet there seems to be a world of difference between the luxury department store and the large fashion retailer. At least you could think so.
In any case, on Thursday (December 1) the two poles – elitist luxury here, affordable fashion there – will move a good deal closer together. Then there will be designs by Francesco Risso in both stores: The chief designer of the Marni brand, which can be bought in KaDeWe, among other places, has designed a collection for Japan’s largest fashion retailer on behalf of the Italian label, which is said to be around 90 percent of the Japanese wear at least part of the range on their body every day. The collection is entitled “Uniqlo and Marni”.
In the meantime, such designer cooperations have become a common pattern for large fashion retailers. And a very lucrative business anyway. In 2004, Karl Lagerfeld was one of the first to attract attention with such an unusual collaboration. The master had designed a collection for H&M, of all things for a mass manufacturer – Lagerfeld for everyone. Many other designers would follow him at the Swedish chain, including Donatella Versace, Isabel Marant and Alexander Wang.
In Great Britain, Jonathan Anderson designed for the retail chain Topshop in 2012; at the discounter Target in the USA there were fashion pieces “designed by Victoria Beckham” in 2016. And Uniqlo also works in different ways with big names in the industry, with Christophe Lemaire for example or with Jil Sander. And with the Marni brand and its creative director Francesco Risso.
Not at all afraid of strong colors: Designer Francesco Risso.Uniqlo
It is the second collection that has been created together. On Thursday it will be in Uniqlo stores worldwide, of which there are hundreds in Japan and ten in Germany; six of them in Berlin alone. After an extremely successful first round – Risso’s previous collection for Uniqlo was quickly sold out a few months ago – the new “Uniqlo and Marni” collection was presented a few days ago in Berlin and parallel in London.
For Berlin, Sissi Pohle and Patrick Scherzer, who run the vintage showroom outofuseberlin in Prenzlauer Berg and are closely associated with the Marni label, were hired as hosts; in London, Francesco Risso himself showed what he had in mind for the Japanese retailer: around 25 designs, brightly colored and wildly patterned, entirely in keeping with the uplifting style of the Italian; the prices range from 24.90 euros for small accessories to 199.90 euros for large coats. We met Risso in London and asked what it’s like working for a wider, bigger audience.
Bring color into everyday life and keep you warm: Socks with “Heattech” technology from retailer Uniqlo.Uniqlo
Mr. Risso, I don’t just have good memories of your first collection for Uniqlo a few weeks ago.
Why this?
Because I’ve been to several Uniqlo stores in both Berlin and Amsterdam and haven’t been able to get any of the parts anymore.
You won’t believe me but I had the same problem. I wanted to buy a present for my sister, but the store was long gone. So I had to make a personal order. Which wasn’t a big problem (laughs).
Did the great success of your first collection for Uniqlo inspire you when designing the second collection, or did it rather put you under pressure to repeat this triumph?
Above all, it was a nice surprise for me. Just to see how people have dealt with this collection. In a very spontaneous, expressive way. I met people on the street who combined my Uniqlo pieces in such an exciting and versatile way that it definitely inspired me for the new collection. I wanted to support this expressionism with exciting designs that can be easily combined with each other.
Are closely associated with the Marni brand: Sissi Pohle and Patrick Scherzer.Uniqlo
Is that what makes working for a large global fashion retailer so exciting – experiencing your own designs on the street?
Of course, in the case of Uniqlo, you can see how people deal with the designs much faster and more clearly. how they react to it. I also often see my Marni designs on the street. But that is then a single dress, then again a single T-shirt. With my collection for Uniqlo, it was very exciting to see how people let many different pieces communicate with each other: a parka with a floral design over the striped dress, plus another shirt with a pattern.
An eclecticism that you also focus on in your work for Marni.
That’s correct. For Uniqlo, I actually wanted to be a bit more careful, a bit more reduced. But then I saw on the street that it was completely unnecessary. People showed me that they really enjoyed fashion, which doesn’t happen often anymore. Especially in these hard times, this harsh world no more.
Are these irritating, difficult times just the right thing for your life-affirming, humorous fashion?
I hope so! I love playing with emotions, with the senses, with movement. with the living. That’s my passion, and it shapes my work at Marni just as much as every collaboration I get involved in.
Everything can be perfectly combined: Risso wants to encourage customers to mix things up wildly.Uniqlo
Did you have to break this expressive style down a bit for Uniqlo, since this collection is aimed at a much wider public than your lines at Marni?
No, I only had to limit myself in terms of material selection and time. This collection was created in a relatively short time, so it’s a bit more compact: about 25 pieces, but in many color variations.
And was that a challenge for you?
Certainly. However, I’ve been trying to keep collections more compact and smaller for a number of years anyway. I find that very contemporary. After all, the fashion industry tends to overproduce – also when it comes to ideas. I believe that in this world that is so full of stimuli, a bit of clarity and reduction is good. The best ideas are the simplest. And at the same time the most difficult.
Soft affair: the extra-long, striped cashmere scarf.Uniqlo
Is there a part of the new collection that you particularly like?
For me it is the combination of two parts: the large puffer jacket, which acts like armor, a protective shield, and a very close-fitting top, behind which is Uniqlo’s “Heattech”, a technology that corresponds to that of thermal underwear.
That also fits in well with our time of crisis. Have you concentrated on extra-warm clothing so that your customers don’t have to heat up their homes as much?
(laughs) I didn’t think about that for a second, honestly. I was more concerned with the fundamental question of how these parts, which are actually worn underneath, can become a real protagonist, outerwear. If they also keep you warm during these times – all the better.