«Crochet, once considered the symbol of patriarchy, turned into a feminist symbol of independence, becoming itself a manifesto to wear» – Marco Rambaldi, Bologna and the LGBTQ+ community
Bologna, the LGBTQ+ cultural ferment and the birth of Marco Rambaldi
«Bologna is a source of inspiration, for what it has done in history, the battles born here also for the LGBTQ+ community, which has become part of the brand’s DNA», says Marco Rambaldi.
Rambaldi’s life began and continued in Bologna, a city that is now also the brand’s home and the processing of his garments. A firm point of inspiration for designer Marco Rambaldi, the city of Bologna is the starting point for conceiving his collections.
«Added value of the city is the welcome – he continues – as well as that group of people that surrounds him and the brand. Bologna also has the ability to expose itself compared to other places and to stand out especially in the area of human rights» – Rambaldi points out.
Even in somewhat darker historical moments such as the one we are currently experiencing, Bologna still delivers excitement; the GenZ youth who populate it, for example, despite everything, are willing to fight and defend rights already gained and wage new battles for those to be gained, he concludes.
The cultural ferment of the city can be found in the brand from the earliest collections: the everyday meeting politics and the contemporary. With an eye on the present, current events and what surrounds us, Bologna as well as Marco Rambaldi respond with a clear and decisive vision of what the future should be.
Marco Rambaldi and the art of crochet: from great-grandmother to Milan Fashion Week
The art of crochet immediately became a symbol of the Rambaldi brand, from the very first capsule collection, the designer explains, when the brand actually had neither continuous production nor distribution. This very natural transition that occurred between Marco Rambaldi’s past and his brand passes through his great-grandmother, a passionate crochet worker.
Precisely for this reason, says the designer, the legacy made of tablecloths, blankets and other work becomes the pretext to reuse them within the collections and garments he has designed. From that moment on, also because of a personal connection, this element has always returned, becoming a distinctive feature of Marco Rambaldi.
«As a brand we gave a new reading to crochet, once considered the symbol of patriarchy, and turned it into a feminist symbol of independence, becoming itself a manifesto to wear», the designer points out. Resumed in the different garments, from miniskirts to bodices, crochet returns redefining itself with respect to the different themes and moods of the succeeding collections.
Odi et Amo and Supernova: Marco Rambaldi’s work through his latest projects
The latest Supernova collection, Fall Winter 2024, starts right from Ettore Sottsass book Di chi sono le case vuote? (meaning Who do the empty houses belong to?) «In one chapter the writer delved specifically into the action of dressing in the evening, dressing well related to the bourgeois meaning, but also dressing well for oneself», Rambaldi points out.
An aesthetic image that meets the desire to assimilate a way of being, clothes becoming a mirror of the person and his specific traits. The Supernova collection thus starts from the concept of evening dress to tie it to realities such as clubbing and dancing, which is why the reference was to Riccione’s Cocoricò. A disco-institution in Emilia Romagna that has become a national symbol of nightlife and the freedom to be oneself.
The emblem of Cocoricò, the designer continues, is a glass pyramid that ideally links earth and sky, and so they wanted to recreate this by reviving all the phases of night clubbing until dawn. Supernova refers precisely to the brightest stars that explode and give birth to new stars. Hence some iconic pieces of the fashion show such as the galaxy print on tulle, which has become a carryover, Rambaldi points out, but also the star icon.
Spring Summer 2023, Odi et Amo resumed the setting of a natural context such as the lake, the maternal relationship. Where the woman is not an actual representation of a biological mother, but explores from different points of view the concept of motherhood. «That collection was in my opinion a synthesis of what we have always professed as a brand, becoming a kind of manifesto fashion show», says Rambaldi.
Malafemmina: Marco Rambaldi SS24 collection
The inspiration for the latest collection presented at Milan Fashion Week Spring Summer 2024 is Bettina, a young woman from Bologna who was a prostitute by profession. Arrested in 1662 by the Inquisition, she kept a unique secret, that of the Nine Stars spell.
Love between head and heart turns into a barefoot fashion show, models are wearing hand-held shoes, which looks a bit like what is called the next morning’s walk of shame. Bustiers are met with tights that say Malafemmina or black with floral embellishments that even adorn the arms like gloves.
Crochet is ever-present, in dresses, bodices, skirts. With a casting that continues to focus on concrete inclusivity, from the black theme the show goes to white and then pink, with the conclusion in a blazing sequin dress. «With the Malafemmina fashion show we address the concept of freedom, starting from what has been to arrive at what will be», is how the Marco Rambaldi brand comments on the collection.
Fashion and politics – the stilista according to Marco Rambaldi
Between fashion and politics, according to Marco Rambaldi, there must be a deep connection, a link that he makes shine through his collections by referring to hot topics in the Italian social and cultural context.
«Fashion must always have an active look at the present, to have a precise vision with respect to the everyday, clearly through a reinterpretation of the designers», Rambaldi explains. Relevant is fashion’s ability to reflect on certain aspects and rethink it to allow a community to recognize itself around the values that brands carry forward.
Far from frivolity, Marco Rambaldi’s fashion gives through the collections a decisive response to the present. For the latest SS24 the brand focuses on women, on not having to apologize for participating in the union, on eliminating the concept of exclusion and marginalization.
Marco Rambaldi: deadstock from fabric suppliers. Bologna and local community for a sustainable production
The use of crochet as a distinctive symbol also underlies a desire to adopt a set of practices aimed at minimal waste. By avoiding generating additional yarns and garments from scratch, in fact, Marco Rambaldi’s great-grandmother’s work is transformed into a piece of upcycling that transcends time.
«We started with old, vintage doilies to promote real reuse, assembling them to new shapes reproduced with crochet. Also it is worked only by hand, so the emissions in the manufacturing of these garments are reduced», the designer explains.
Another element that distinguishes the production of Marco Rambaldi’s collections is the targeting of Km 0, narrowing the scope of the supply chain. The brand also carries an idea of collaboration within the system that enhances and interacts with a range of stakeholders that physically surround it.
Artisans in the area such as Tessuti di Sondrio and Priscilla Anati, on whom the brand relies for the production of the collection jewelry, are just some of the collaborators to Rambaldi’s vision. The importance of interacting with local suppliers, the designer explains, is the establishment of direct relationships that make the work not only high quality but also optimal. The example Rambaldi brings is precisely that of recovering deadstock from these fabric suppliers, capable of making production efficient and more sustainable.
The chance to be independent: the work of young Italian designers as told by Marco Rambaldi
The evolution of the brand since 2017, Rambaldi tells us, is traced precisely by its organic growth. «In the beginning when I proposed the first collection I was actually alone, while season after season a team was created that replaced the friends who were helping me».
Over time the company became a corporation thanks in part to the support of the partners: Giulia Geromel and Filippo Giuliani. Being an independent brand, with limited availability to ponder, and having no outside help from the economic point of view, the designer explains, indeed the growth was gradual one season after another.
To trace its growth, Rambaldi gives the example of the studio, which was initially located right in house, while now it has a fixed external location with the archive of the collections. «The brand has also evolved a lot from the point of view of image and vision, also trying to internationalize it in the messages it wants to launch», the designer continues.
Distribution and sales have also expanded abroad and particularly in Asian markets, Canada, and to some extent the United States. Identity and content are two of the key words according to Rambaldi to make a brand relevant today by having a specific message to spread. Without too much construction, but going definitely in the opposite direction from the concept of quantity in favor of quality.
Although young designers are facilitated by establishing their business in Italy, Rambaldi concludes, having the opportunity to turn to craftsmanship and high-level production, there remains a certain diffidence in the initial steps of launching a project, both on the sales and press side.
Marco Rambaldi
Marco Rambaldi brand has been founded in 2017 in Bologna, Italy. It focuses on cultural and social themes to develop the collections starting from inclusion, upcycling and gender.
