Iconic Models Mark Vanderloo, Georgina Grenville Ignite Taller Marmo’s Campaign, Menswear Launch

MILAN — A little self-treat can come under many guises: for some, it can be found in the pages of a book, in a new pair of shoes or a day spent at a spa. For others it is served as a good meal or a simple walks in nature.

For designers Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea it was about turning their Helmut Newton fantasy into reality with their biggest production for a Taller Marmo campaign yet.

They had a good reason: their brainchild label is turning 10, it’s scaling up in size and international footprint and it’s expanding the assortment, debuting in menswear and swimwear.

And who better than Mark Vanderloo and Georgina Grenville to embody these new propositions? The models joined six other talents in the glamorous affair Audisio and Goicoechea conjured for the brand’s resort 2025 campaign dropping Thursday.

Photographed by Francesco Scotti and styled by Alba Melendo, the images nod to the jet-set lifestyle of the French Riviera in the ‘70s and ‘80s, portrayed with a cinematic, sensual and fun eye.

“For me, the gift for these 10 years has been this campaign,” said Goicoechea, sitting on the sinuous couch of the brand’s new and expansive showroom here — another treat founders allowed themselves earlier this year.

“The goal was more to tell a story, rather than showing a product,” he continued, underscoring that the editorial approach was “maybe a countertrend compared to other ads today, which are more straightforward and product-centric.”

Shot over the summer in a private residence on the Italian lake Orta, the images show talents around a pool, having a drink and a laugh, all glammed up in Taller Marmo’s signature caftans, shimmering one-shoulder gowns, feathered dresses, dramatic capes and retro-inspired one-piece swimsuits with plunging necklines, their sensual appeal upped by high-heeled sandals, statement jewelry and flowers in their hair.

Sporting a pajama set, Vanderloo stands out in the pool-party portrayal with his dynamic and impromptu poses. “It was a dream to have him for our first menswear collection. He has such an energy, he was the real pillar and glue of this group of talents,” recalled Goicoechea, while Audisio pointed to feeling like “he was more an actor than a model: he basically directed himself.”

Menswear was a natural extension for the brand. “We’ve always followed our path, which in moments like these is also the most difficult thing to do. Other brands of our size tend to start with a fashion line and then launch accessories, but for us this was the right move forward,” said Goicoechea.

While women’s collections are often inspired by muses and imaginary storytelling that designers come up with during their creative process, the duo approached menswear in a more personal way. “We thought of our closest friends, working a little bit with stereotypes, too,” said Audisio. 

The target ranges from “the 40-year-old having fun in Mykonos to the spiritual guru in Ibiza,” but most importantly “while other brands launch menswear imagining the husband or partner of their woman, for us it was all about the best friend you have fun with,” said Audisio.

Looks range from approachable denim-looking linen outfits punctuated with hand-painted ceramic buttons and fluid caftans to zebra-patterned silk sets and see-through shirts and pants covered in sequins.

As for the swimwear, it rounds off the more daywear offering the founders have also introduced this year, defining it as “destination wear” and balancing its strong expertise in all-things nighttime and occasion wear. Yet this integration was developed with the same high-glam approach by cutting the roomy silhouettes of fringed caftans and ponchos, dresses and tunics from monochrome textured fabrications, ranging from embroidered cotton organza and high-quality linens to micro-beaded nets.

The duo recalled how in 2018 Harrods placed its first Taller Marmo order and introduced the brand to its customers by displaying it in a room next to the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier and Marchesa. “We were so different compared to those voluminous gowns. We thought: ‘this either goes very very bad or very good.’ Luckily it well went,” said Goicoechea.

“Now history repeats itself. We will have the daywear in a section dedicated to resortwear, with all printed clothes, while we don’t do prints at all,” said Audisio.

The product expansion serves the wider distribution footprint the brand now has. Taller Marmo counts more than 80 points of sale in 23 countries, including a strong presence in the U.K. at the likes of Selfridges, Browns and Harvey Nichols, in addition to Harrods. Elsewhere, stockists encompass Tessabit, Antonia, Spinnaker and Al Duca D’Aosta in Italy; Etoile La Boutique, Bloomingdale’s, Printemps, Saks Fifth Avenue in the Middle East; Sunroom in Malibu, and Tootsies in Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, to name a few.

While Taller Marmo’s top markets remain the GCC area, Europe — where the brand has been growing in the last three years — and the U.K., its online channel is a big driver of sales, especially in the U.S.

“We launched our e-commerce at the end of last year and more than half of orders are coming from there,” said Goicoechea, pointing to the brand’s still-underdeveloped physical presence.

The label will soon be carried by Jimmy’s in New York and launch at Le Bon Marché in Paris, too. The latter addition has been propelled by no less than Rossy de Palma. The Spanish actress — Audisio’s ultimate muse, inspiring his work since he was a fashion student at Istituto Marangoni — has worn the brand’s pieces, including a custom-made caftan with her face on it the duo created for her for the Cannes Film Festival.

Afterward, De Palma was tapped for a Le Bon Marché takeover and included that style, which sold out in a week, recalled Audisio, who proudly shared he became a WhatsApp pal with his dream actress.

Goicoechea is an Instagram buddy with Irish singer Róisín Murphy instead, another big supporter of the duo since the pandemic. Known for her unique sense of style, Murphy has repeatedly worn the brand on- and off-stage and embodies the same unapologetic, fun and eccentric spirit the brand channels.

Other fans of the brand have included the likes of Lady Gaga, Sharon Stone, Monica Bellucci, Lupita Nyong’o, Alicia Keys, Kylie Minogue, Lily Collins and Viola Davis, to name a few.