Francesco Murano

When the picture returns, he exhales slowly, measured. The kind of pause that only comes from someone who considers even breath an element of composition. “I always think about balance”, he says, tapping ash into a small glass tray. “Between rational and irrational. Tailoring and draping. Structure and spontaneity”. This duality defines Francesco’s work – and arguably, his being. You see it not just in the clothes, which might pair liquid jersey with heavy leather, but in the way he moves through ideas: the architect and the instinctualist, the artist and the technician. Raised in a small town in southern Italy, steeped in ancient myths and matriarchal symbols, his collections orbit womanhood – sculpted, elevated, mythologised. “I always start with the body”, he says. “It doesn’t matter the theme or season – it’s about how a garment enhances and reinterprets the human form”.

He talks through his process – beginning with tailored forms and precise silhouettes before surrendering to the moulage method, draping instinctively on the mannequin, shaping as he goes. “You can’t always sketch it. It’s too abstract”, he explains. “I need to touch it. To see how the fabric falls, how it moves”. His voice doesn’t so much explain as sculpt, each thought carved slowly and intentionally, not dissimilar to his AW25 offering. Movement matters to him. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was once a dancer. “Like a sculpture, but dynamic”, he says, describing how the clothes shift with the body. One moment he’s referencing classical equilibrium – Polykleitos and the ancient Greek canon – next, he’s reimagining it in a cross-body drape or a shoulder-skimming cut. He’s fascinated by proportion, by symmetry and tension, by the emotional weight of garments, both statuesque and alive.

His aesthetic reads like myth meeting modernity. Venus re-cast as a 9-to-5 commuter. Venus under a streetlight, wrapped in geometry and featherlight fabric. “For me, it’s never about one type of woman”, he says. “It’s about attitude. Power. Body consciousness. Whether it’s Beyoncé, Eartheater or someone walking down the street – it’s always about how they carry it”. You’ve seen the pieces: bodycon sculptural dresses, architectural cuts, batwing sleeves.

One viral AW25 look felt like an ancient oracle reimagined by a sci-fi auteur. “I’m interested in a new kind of sensuality”, he says. “Not just the deep neckline. It’s about suggestion. Emotion”. When asked about fame – LVMH recognition, Vogue Italia covers, his first Milan show – Francesco shrugs, almost embarrassed by the question. “These things are beautiful. But they’re not everything”, he says. “You have to keep working. Stay focused. Build the structure”. That structure is already taking shape. As a recipient of the Camera Moda Fashion Trust Grant – €50,000 towards the future of his label – Francesco is in quiet expansion. After five years of made-to-measure, a practice he loves for its intimacy and sustainability, Francesco is taking a carefully curated step into retail. Fifteen stores worldwide.

“That’s enough”, he says. “We don’t need more clothes. We need better ones”. It all began with a DM. In the final month of his studies, Francesco submitted his thesis collection to a fashion competition – ever imagining it would reroute his life. Beyoncé’s stylist spotted his work on Instagram and within weeks, Francesco was crafting two custom pieces for the pop icon.

Francesco Murano jacket, top & skirt, Panconesi earrings

Francesco Murano jacket, top & skirt, Jude shoes, Panconesi earrings

Francesco Murano dress, Panconesi earrings

Francesco Murano dress, Panconesi earrings

Francesco Murano dress, Panconesi earrings

“For five years people have asked for my clothes”, he says, still slightly incredulous. That moment – Beyoncé, adorned in his pieces, seen around the world, lit the fuse. What followed were five years of made-to-measure, a practice he pursued with near-monastic devotion and a quiet, burning resolve. Still, he’s not abandoning the bespoke side.

“Some pieces will only ever be available madeto- measure”, he explains. “It’s about giving clients the chance to make something their own”. His next collection – arriving this September – hints at a broader universe. The signature draping remains, but the offering expands. “You’ll see a wider wardrobe. Daywear, outerwear, still sculptural, still moving. But more complete. More me”. Francesco speaks of art not as influence, but instinct. “If I wasn’t a designer, I’d be an artist”, he says, almost offhand, though nothing about him feels accidental. “I studied art. I think like an artist. Each piece I make has its own life. Its own presence”. His clothes aren’t just worn – they’re inhabited.

They sit between object and offering, sculpture and skin. A dress could hang in a gallery and still hum with intention. The only difference is these pieces aren’t static – they’re pulled into real life, stretched across skin, moved through air. Art that breathes back. He smiles – not modest, but quiet, considered. The kind of smile that suggests he already knows where it’s all heading. Not to hype. Not to mass production. But to permanence. There’s no need for emphasis – just the calm conviction of someone steadily stepping into his next era. “You will see a different part of Francesco Murano”, he tells me. And you know he’s right.