Thank GOD: Marni’s new creative director is Meryll Rogge

Note up front: if I come across one more creative director appointment article involving the words “Musical Chairs,” I will lose my last two marbles. But it’s inevitably what this article is about, because finally, those same damn musical chairs have seated someone we not just like, but love. Our favourite weirdgirl, Meryll Rogge, just scooted in and secured her place at OTB’s table, at Marni no less! The Belgian designer will succeed Francesco Risso, who left after 10 years at the brand.

A quick look at her résumé, and it’s clear: Meryll didn’t land here by luck. Born and raised in Belgium (Antwerp fashion academy, say less), former head of womenswear at Dries Van Noten (where she also co-conceptualised that luscious beauty line that we love!), a stint at Marc Jacobs, and then she went on to launch her namesake label that genuinely made fashion critics giddy (only 5 years ago, notably). She won Emerging Talent of the Year in 2021, Designer of the Year in 2024 (first woman to do so), and just bagged the Grand Prix at the 2025 ANDAM Awards. 

She just makes sense at Marni! The brand, known for its off-beat design ethos, is constantly channeling a playful, childlike wonder of the world. Their big patterns, fluffy stripes, creative misuse of colour, and eclectic approach to design make for a cheeky, fun-forward world of luxury. Like Marni, Meryll Rogge is exciting: weird, smart, and joyful. She makes fashion that feels like flirting: mischievous, sharp, slightly risky. Her label (launched only five years ago) is proof she understands what modern femininity can look like – whimsical, romantic, and a little rebellious.

Talk of the town is (and has been) that all the current creative directors – both newly appointed and recycled –  are overwhelmingly male and white. Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta is a win, but since Jil Sander’s Luke and Lucie Meier left earlier this year, there wasn’t a single woman on the board of OTB’s brand lineup. Maria Grazia Chiuri left Dior just two months ago, and with even Donatella Versace gone since March, the fashion landscape has been looking especially bare. We love Mrs. Prada, obviously, but at this point, we were in dire need of a woman to take the lead somewhere. (The bar is, obviously, on the floor.)

Naturally, we’ve all been begging the fashion gods to finally appoint literally anyone but a white guy. So what happens when actual new talent steps in – the “fresh wind” is not just two white guys in a trenchcoat, not yet another reshuffle among the usual suspects? And what happens when we don’t even get just any woman, we get one we’ve admired for so long, like Meryll Rogge?

We lean forward. We pay attention. We can finally step outside and smell the flowers. For once, something in fashion feels like it’s actually blooming. Let’s hope the rest of the industry is paying attention.