Finally, another woman designer gets a big brand gig

In the latest move in the unprecedented realignment of the fashion world, Meryll Rogge was appointed creative director of Marni on Tuesday.

- VANESSA FRIEDMAN

She will be responsible for womenswear, menswear, accessories, store design and communications, replacing Francesco Risso, who left the Italian brand last month after almost 10 years.

Rogge is the 17th new designer named to a big brand since mid-2024, but only the fourth woman.

It’s a striking imbalance in an industry that is still largely powered by womenswear and accessories, and one that was quick to pay lip service to diversity in recent years but has seemed to retreat from many of its pledges in terms of gender and race.

Rogge will become the sole female designer in the stable of OTB, the holding company that also owns Maison Margiela, Jil Sander, Diesel and Viktor & Rolf and that reported sales of €1.7 billion (64.2 billion baht) in 2024, down 4% from 2023.