BUREAU OF IMAGINATION AND THE CREATIVE ENDEAVOURS OF FRANCESCO RISSO
words NIA TOPALOVA
Located in a 1920s former cheese factory, near Milan’s Navigli, is Francesco Risso’s very own living archive, his Bureau of Imagination, curated by his dear partner, Alex Sossah. Their work coexists within their vintage furniture, books, glass, silverware, where they’ve created a space constantly open to creative possibilities.
Inside their Bureau of Imagination, the couple might have their morning coffee surrounded by patternmakers, tailors, artisans and craftspeople, or as they call them: the Makers, and the External Makers. And then there are the Muses. The Muses are their friends, artists, musicians, with an aim of coming together and creating within this living archive – creating, as well as resting inside the secret garden, the reading area, or the residences.
The Bureau will work by appointment, in Milan or online: presenting knitwear, jackets, shoes, bags, pants, leather goods, monthly releases, and one-of-a-kind objects such as ceramics and silverware.
photography by HUGH FINDLETAR, courtesy of FRANCESCO RISSO
Risso has faced a rather intense start, born on a boat during a storm on a cold December day. He was raised by a family of tailors and artists, and started making his own clothes at the age of nine. Growing up in a creative environment could be a possible explanation of his strong fascination with literature, fashion, and cinema.
courtesy of FRANCESCO RISSO
While building his Bureau, Risso is currently the creative director of GU, Uniqlo’s sister brand, sharing an appreciation of a work culture in which collections are created thinking in decades rather than seasons, a complete opposite of the demanding attitude of the Western work culture. In 2006 he arrived at Prada, where he spent eight years designing womenswear before joining Marni in 2016. There, he succeeded Consuelo Castiglioni and spent almost a decade developing one of his most recognisable creative languages in fashion, created around colour, eccentricity, craft, and an obsessive interest in characters.
The Bureau of Imagination is Risso's manifestation of a place where things can exist outside of the industry’s pressure, and making can return to being personal and joyful. The designer has previously admitted he only accepts jobs on the condition that he will be leaving as soon as he’s not having fun anymore.
courtesy of FRANCESCO RISSO
The cases of breaking free from the demands of a rather intense industry, after years of dedication, in order to preserve one’s well-being are countless. In 2005 Helmut Lang stepped down to dedicate his time on making art. In 2024, after more than 30 years of work, Dries van Noten also embraced a slower pace of life, spending time in nature and focusing on his personal gardens in his 1840s country house. Both Miuccia Prada and Haider Ackermann have talked about the importance of taking time to feed your mind and soul, to read, see art, ballet, and go to museums, to nurture oneself in order to keep creating.
After receiving the 2018 Jury Prize at the Belgian Fashion Awards, Martin Margiela shared that 2008 was his last year in fashion because he was unable to cope with the “worldwide increasing pressure and the overgrowing demands of trade” anymore, regretting the overdose of information carried by social media, which he believes destroys the “thrill of wait” and cancels the effect of surprise – one that has always been fundamental to him.
Veronique Nichanian left Hermés dissatisfied with the relentless pace of the industry, one that renders design choices predictable, and in lack of conceptual intent, she says “I still love this job. However, I believe that to practice it the way I like to, it now requires more and more time – and today, I want to devote that time to other things”
While still at GU, Risso is doing what many of us crave, rediscovering his passion for freedom, and doing what brings him joy. He has been alienating himself from the speed of the industry, in order to preserve what’s valuable.
photography by ISABELLE WENZEL
