Meryll Rogge makes a colourful Marni debut with respect for the archives

A significant moment in the career of Belgian designer Meryll Rogge. After working for Dries van Noten and her own eponymous brand, she now heads the Italian luxury fashion house Marni. Both the fashion house and the designer appreciate colourful and unexpected combinations, which Rogge's debut collection was full of.

“Echoes of the known and familiar,” begins the press release for Marni's autumn/winter 2026 collection. “It marks a return to values and meaning, alongside the reinforcement of a new vocabulary found within the established language.” This is a poetic way of saying that Rogge has reinterpreted and refreshed Marni's heritage.

Rogge's own style, at her eponymous brand, is characterised by a combination of classic womenswear evening attire and menswear tailoring. She opts for bold and unexpected combinations when it comes to colour, pattern and style. Thanks to these combinations, her own collections are joyful and have a youthful appearance.

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At Marni, this was no different. The collection featured a wide array of prints: horizontal and vertical stripes; floral patterns; checks; polka dots (a Marni favourite); and leopard print. It is an art to use such a variety of prints without creating a garish collection. The balance was achieved through a more muted colour palette with few bright colours. Clever styling also played a key role. The most prominent prints were paired with understated yet well-crafted items.

The show featured both womenswear and menswear items, making a statement that it is about dressing bodies, not a specific gender.

'The Marni spirit is back': Meryll Rogge's strong entrance at the Italian fashion house

While many of the looks clearly referenced Marni's archives, several items made a literal comeback. These included the Fussbett sandal and the Trunk bag. “They have been redesigned, incorporating Marni's details into new creations,” according to the show notes.

Rogge's first show injects a significant dose of youthfulness into the Marni archive. The Marni enthusiast will find plenty of familiar elements to appreciate, and the maximalist styling will attract a new group of fashion lovers. On Instagram, the collection has been warmly received with comments like “The Marni Spirit is back” and “Clothes that women can actually wear”.

The FW26 collection is imbued with joy and wearability. However, we should not underestimate the difficulty of making a design debut at a time when a designer can be dismissed immediately after their first show. Is that the expectation for Rogge? No. We can only look forward to her second collection and the many that will follow.