Francesco Risso

Francesco Risso is an Italian fashion designer. He was the creative director of the luxury fashion house Marni from 2016 to 2025. He leads an ongoing design collaboration with UNIQLO, was appointed creative director of the retail brand GU in January 2026, and is the founder of the Milan-based design studio Bureau of Imagination. Risso was born near the Ligurian coast and raised in Genoa. At age 16, he began studying fashion at Polimoda in Florence before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. He completed his formal education at Central Saint Martins in London under Louise Wilson. After attending Polimoda, the fashion school in Florence, he then attended Central Saint Martin in London where he studied under the notorious professor Louise Wilson, who died in 2014. Following design roles at Anna Molinari, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, and Malo, Risso joined Prada in 2008, where he worked on womenswear and special projects. In 2016, Risso succeeded founder Consuelo Castiglioni as creative director of Marni. During his tenure, his collections incorporated upcycled materials and elements of performance art.