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Fast Retailing Appoints Francesco Risso as GU Creative Director

The Marni veteran says he wants to make meaningful, accessible clothes for a broad audience in his new role.

Overview

  • Fast Retailing announced the appointment on Jan. 8, confirming Risso’s leadership of its second-largest label.
  • His first GU collection is slated for Fall/Winter 2026, with a separate Uniqlo collaboration planned to launch in 2026.
  • Risso previously led Marni from 2016 until 2025, spent about a decade at Prada, and co-created a Uniqlo × Marni line in 2022.
  • GU operates about 480 stores across Asia, runs e-commerce in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, and opened its first U.S. flagship in SoHo in 2024.
  • Fast Retailing is enlisting high-profile design talent as GU seeks to regain momentum after a slight same-store sales dip in the quarter through Nov. 30.