Consuelo Castiglioni

Designer of the week is Consuelo Castiglioni. Born and raised in Italian Swiss town Lugano, Switzerland. With no training or education in design, she started the fashion label Marni in 1994 with her business partner and husband Gianni Castiglioni. As the founder and former creative director of Italian Fashion label Marni, Castiglioni was praised for her forward thinking designs and sophistication. With her love for Art, you can see many traits of her in each collection. 

The fashion industry marked Castiglioni as the most innovative designer. Castiglioni was also on the 100 Most Creative People In Business by Fast Company. Her sleek silhouettes, colorful prints and bold textures have her standing out from the rest. With the rising popularity, the brand has expanded rapidly. The side business called Ciwifurs was also created which is best known for being a fur business. This company was established in 1999. This allowed the designer to develop a more fashion forward aesthetic. 

Marni began to expand rapidly by targeting her niche market. This brand was created for that  independence woman. She dresses for herself, not to please others. Which many speculate that this is why not a lot of advertising was done for the brand. You also don't see Castiglioni chasing celebrities like you see many brands doing. By 2016, Castiglioni departed from Marni. This marked the end of the exciting chapter for the brand. Castiglioni wanted divert more time into her private life. Castiglioni daughter, who is also part of the brand as a lead for special projects has also started her own collection called Plan C. 

Castiglioni has changed the fashion industry and inspired many. Even though Marni is under someone new, you can still see a little of Castiglioni within the brand. While Castiglioni is taking this time off, the industry awaits for her return. What new will she bring to the table? Will she take her company back or build a completely new brand? What innovation will she create to remind the industry why everyone loved her so much? With so many questions, we hope she won't be done sharing her creativity. 

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