FOR ACCESSORIES DESIGNERS, KNOWING HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY FUSE creativity with commercial sense is an art in itself. Marni, founded by the Castiglioni family in 1994, is one brand that retailers say continues to strike the right chord — and now accessories is one of the Italian firm’s most burgeoning categories. “Marni accessories are extremely important — both directional and trendsetting — utilizing unusual shapes and material combinations,” says Ed Burstell, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of nonapparel at Bergdorf Goodman. “They are particularly relevant, as they are an expression of original thought and sit alone in the marketplace.” The brand, which is produced entirely in Italy, introduced leather goods, shoes and costume jewelry lines in 1997, followed by an in-house eyewear range in 2005. Business generated by those categories today represents just more than 30 percent of the Milan-based brand’s revenue. “Accessories are an astonishing way to change the feeling of an outfit,” says Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni. “I consider them a very important part of the collection because they ‘frame’ the dress, making a statement about one’s style and desire for uniqueness.” While the house’s distinctive jewelry lines have garnered much press, bags, according to Castiglioni, remain Marni’s core accessories earner. Wedges also have proven a key item, including wooden, embroidered and methacrylate styles. Castiglioni typically favors natural materials such as horn, tagua nuts and bamboo for jewelry, and leather and wood for shoes.
Methacrylate and resin also feature among typically Marni materials. Sampling is the brand’s forte, with tweed, snake, metallic leathers and men’s suiting fabrics among the innovative combinations at play on the house’s shoe lines, and exotic skins, colored leathers and furs for bags. “At the origin of [our] fall-winter collection is a new conceptual freedom of mix and match — an evocative game of forms, colors, weights, finishes and details,” Castiglioni says. Prices for the fall line run from around 200 euros, or $315 at current exchange, for a bracelet up to
1,100 euros, or $1,700, for a handbag. “Everything that surrounds me can turn into an idea,” Castiglioni adds. “A piece of paper, nature, a story. I collect impressions, colors and materials in order to merge them into a vivid puzzle. The mixing and matching of textures, shapes and colors, discovering new combinations of forms and effects, has been one of my prerogatives for Marni’s collections since the beginning….In the same way as the clothes, I like the accessories to transcend seasons so that they can be worn and combined with items from previous collections.” Marni accessories typically have been sold either in Marni boutiques or through the firm’s wholesale channels, which includes a number of independent clients and department stores such as Saks and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Le Bon Marché and Printemps in Paris and Selfridges in London. As a result of the ever-growing importance of its accessories collections, in November Marni bowed its first standalone accessories unit in Milan dedicated to the category. Stand-alone accessories stores in Madrid and Moscow will follow this year, as well as in-store units in Neiman Marcus in San Francisco and Atlanta and Ala Moana and DFS Waikiki in Hawaii. Accessories are also available on the house’s Web site, marni.com, which offers exclusive color variations and special items. “For me, the secret recipe is consistency,” Castiglioni says of Marni’s success in the category. “Being true to your own identity
and design principles without putting creativity behind sales, but placing the accent on the product, strengthening research and experimentation and concentrating on quality to create a defining style. Daring, unexpected combinations is [also key].”