Francesco Murano was among the finalists for this year’s LVMH Prize—an experience that, for emerging designers, can feel as nerve-wracking as it is transformative, offering both visibility and validation. Murano, however, seems to have taken it all in stride. This season marked his debut on the official Milan Fashion Week calendar, following his presentation at Fondazione Sozzani last year.
He titled his collection Kinesis, a Greek word meaning “movement,” a choice that underscores his classical cultural roots. Hailing from Southern Italy, once known as Magna Graecia, Murano draws instinctive inspiration from the draped figures of ancient statuary. This fascination has become a guiding principle in his work: draping, among the most demanding techniques in dressmaking, forms the foundation of his fluid jersey dresses, which ripple around the body with an almost liquid flow. It’s a sort of sensual purity, stripped of embellishment and excess color. Murano favors a palette of neutrals set against a black backdrop, where drama and dark erotic undertones are never far, yet always tempered by his “obsessive pursuit of balance,” as he explained at a preview.
“I sense a kind of immobility, as if the world were trapped in a loop without evolution. That’s why I wanted to rediscover movement, the idea of moving forward, drawing inspiration from Boccioni’s sculptures, Balla’s explorations of dynamism, and Étienne-Jules Marey’s photographic studies of motion,” he said. “Today there’s a pervasive static quality, in politics, fashion, art, music, where everything feels like repetition, without surprise. My aim instead is to portray a figure that embraces change.”
The collection reflected this through asymmetries: skirts broken into segments that unfurl, releasing energy and setting the body into continuous motion. Silhouettes were close to the body, while Murano’s signature draped shapes almost dissolved and broke into ribbons trailing around the dresses, “anticipating movement and occupying space around the body.”
While keeping the silhouette sensual and tight, he deconstructed his usually more symmetrical shapes. While in his February collection he explored balance—playing with symmetry and proportion—this season he sought to disrupt that harmony. “It’s an evolution of form, one that comes to life only through the body that wears it. My clothes truly speak when in motion; on a hanger they appear muted, almost devoid of identity.” He introduced outerwear and some billowy shapes crafted in silk instead of his signature jersey; he tried his hand at fluid tailoring. A trench coat in light silk was conceived like a parachute: left open and activated by motion, it flowed into abstract shapes that shift and transform.
There is undeniable potential in Murano’s work; he has a precise vision of the woman he wants to dress, and a deft mastering of technique. The collection made for a fine outing. His drive to move forward and “break the loop of stasis” resonates with a broader awareness of the times we live in, which always makes for an intelligent, sensible approach. Yet it’s the act of solidifying ideas that ultimately shapes identity and asserts authorship of a style. Progress does not always come through speed, but through the slow refinement that carves out a truly recognizable voice.
