Francesco Risso Launches Bureau of Imagination in Milan's Former Cheese Factory

Francesco Risso, after nearly a decade as creative director of Marni, has opened the Bureau of Imagination, a creative factory and manufacturing house in a 1920s cheese factory called La Fattoria delle Alpi in Milan's Navigli district. The space, originally intended as a home for Risso and his partner Alex Sossah, has evolved into a multidisciplinary hub where garments, furniture, glass, silverware, and performances are conceived and made. Sossah, a Paris-raised curator and creative consultant, serves as the Bureau's curator. The Engine Room houses ateliers for patternmakers and sewing specialists, plus a ceramics studio. The Bureau will sell directly to consumers via appointment or online, with seasonless core pieces and monthly releases; one-of-a-kind objects are made-to-order. Risso also recently became creative director of GU, Uniqlo's sister brand, working with CEO Tadashi Yanai. The Bureau's historical reference is Claes Oldenburg's The Store. Collaborators include artists Orfeo Tagiuri, Flaminia Veronesi, Piero Golia, and Dozie Kanu, and glassmaker Gianni Seguso. The building features a library, communal Cantine, secret garden, Glass Room, and residences. Paloma Elsesser's Met Gala dress, assembled from over 30 vintage garments, was created at the Bureau.