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Stefano Rosso has been appointed CEO of Marni, replacing Barbara Calò. His extensive experience in tech and innovation could point to a new direction for the Italian house.
Rosso will report to Ubaldo Minelli, CEO of Marni parent company OTB Group, which also owns Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Viktor & Rolf.
“Marni is a unique brand that has built a solid global positioning in the last few years and is followed by a special community of creatives, artists and brand lovers all over the world,” said OTB Group chair Renzo Rosso in a statement. “Stefano will have the important responsibility of fast tracking Marni’s positioning on the luxury market and the new post is a further step forward in his professional career. I believe that his international experience and innovative vision will prove decisive in raising Marni’s iconic profile and reaching an even broader audience.”
In 2023, Marni achieved 8.6 per cent sales growth — a way behind Diesel’s 13.1 per cent growth, Maison Margiela’s 23 per cent growth and Jil Sander’s 17.3 per cent growth. Last year, the brand focused on expanding its retail network, opening 16 new stores globally. At the start of this year, Marni signed a 20-year licensing agreement with Coty to develop a beauty line.
Rosso’s experience in tech and innovation could breathe new life into the brand. Currently, Rosso is chairman of Maison Margiela and CEO of Brave Virtual Xperience (BVX), OTB’s business unit dedicated to developing products for the virtual world. He is also a board member of the Aura Blockchain Consortium, a non-profit organisation offering blockchain solutions to luxury brands, of which OTB Group, in addition to LVMH, Prada Group, Richemont and Mercedes-Benz, is a founding member. Rosso also co-founded gaming community platform D-Cave, and serves as CEO there.
“By appointing Stefano as Marni CEO, we wanted to strengthen the leadership of a brand that is a fundamental driver for the growth of the entire OTB Group,” said Minelli in a statement. “Marni still has great potential to be explored and we are convinced that Stefano is the right person to take it forward. I want to thank Barbara Calò for leading Marni’s development in the last few years and for her work in our group.”
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