A Quick Q&A with Marco Rambaldi

A look from Marco Rambaldi’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection.

Marco Rambaldi is one of those “young designers to watch” you always hear about. He is a rising star in Italy where he was recently chosen to be a finalist at this year’s Who is on Next competition that is put on by Italian Vogue and hosted by Altaroma.

Straight out of the gate the 26 year old designer, who got a degree in Fashion Design at IUAV University in Venice,  won the “Next Generation prize” from the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana with his debut collection back in 2014. Then for two years he took a brake from his signature brand to work with Dolce and Gabbana as part of the house’s womenswear design team.

But at the start of this year he returned to his label and once again begain generating a buzz for his quirky yet cool clothing. Designs that always have a touch of the artisanal about them . Particularly in the way Rambaldi incorporates crochet patchwork elements into his work and through his use of unexpected pint designs in his creations. 

Here he tells us all about his Miuccia Prada dreams, how his time at Dolce and Gabbana empowered him to once again focus on his own brand and why Sylvia Rivera, a young transexual from the 1970’s, inspires him.

Q: How did you first get interested in fashion?

A: I think it was genetic. I have no answer for this question. Just that when I close my eyes I see Miuccia Prada. I even dreamt of her once. She was talking to me as if I was her son.

A photo from Marco Rambaldi’s Instagram feed

Q: What made you finally decide to launch out on your own and create your own line?

A: The decision was pretty seamless after leaving school. I just wanted to do it. I spent my two years at Dolce & Gabbana dreaming of that moment. Everything I learnt from them is now fundamental for what I am doing. I love their story: self made success, boundless creativity, always opinionated about the facts of life. Designing is a way of self expression. Everyone should do it and shout out what they think, even if it is political, uncomfortable, unheard of.

Q: What was your big break?

A: Definitely being between the 6 finalists of Who’s On Next was everything. I loved to have the chance to show my work to an international jury and to begin having a proper consideration from press and buyers. I work with a small team of friends, like a family. We are really excited to be where we are now.

Activist Sylvia Rivera.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: I am fascinated from strong personalities as Sylvia Rivera, a young transexual that started the whole Stonewall riots in the Seventies. She was fierce, fearless, beautiful and totally genderless. I think of her not only as an aesthetic reference but also as a true personification of womanhood.

Q: Who living or dead would you love to be able to have dinner with?

A: It would be Ornella Vanoni, a fantastic Italian singer who is now in her eighties. She sang some of the most amazing songs in the history of Italian music and she is still alive and kicking. I simply adore her.

Q: What is your favorite trip?

A: I went to Kerala in India last year on a very wild road backpack trip. I loved the way indian people can be so dignified even if they live in the most terrible slums. You learn to be humble, you understand how fortunate we are. And you cry sometimes. But it’s a cry of joy.

Q: When are you happiest?

A: When I am with Filippo, my lover. We met in Bologna, the city where I come from, in the bar where I usually go with my friends. It was love at first sight. He inspires me, he supports me and I think he is the most beautiful guy in the universe.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing?

A: Building my brand with my friends and with the incredible support of Nicola Russo who believed in me from the very beginning and decided to support me producing the collection with his company Errebi. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. He is the kind of enlightened entrepreneur every young designer should meet.

A house created out of Legos.

Q: What is your secret talent ?

A: I am a genius in building things with Lego toys. When i was a kid I used to build small houses and my brother and my friends would play with them.

Q: What is your motto or the best piece of advice you ever got?

A: You can’t do this alone.

Q: What emoji do you use the most?

A: The heart.

Q: What is the latest Instagram feed you decided to follow?

A: @rebeccavoight. I met her in Rome and completely fell in love with her when she instagrammed my boyfriend. She is a brilliant writer and completely understood my work.

Jessica Michault

Jessica Michault is the Senior Vice President of industry relations at GPS Radar by Launchmetrics. She is also the editor-at-large for ODDA magazine and contributes to publications like the New York Times, the Business of Fashion, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Mixte magazine.