Marni Teases Collaboration With China’s Miao Ethnic Group
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SHANGHAI — Marni introduced an upcoming collaboration called Marni Miao between its creative director Francesco Risso and the Miao ethnic group communities in China during Shanghai Fashion Week on Thursday.
The project will feature a selection of pieces and be available in March in its stores across China, as well as in selected Marni stores worldwide.
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“The encounter and collaboration with Miao communities opened up surprising paths and led me on to question how we live the present. Their interpretation of time makes you wonder whether we shall revisit our understanding of luxury and envision a different purpose, that goes beyond hasty consumption,” said Risso.
“Working on this project motivated me in reclaiming time as a safe space for creation,” he added.
The Miao is an ethnic group recognized by the government of China as one of the 55 official minority groups. The Miao live primarily in southern China’s mountains, in the provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan. According to the 2000 census, the number of Miao in China was estimated to be about 9.6 million.
The group is known for its unique and elaborated use of embroidery, lace, pleating, weaving and silverware, which are largely unknown to the rest of the world. Marni aims to bring these traditional craftsmanships into the modern fashion dialogues as Risso “has been looking for ways to make a fashion label worthy of a more meaningful presence on the planet.”
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