Few fashion houses can claim a legacy as enduring—or as influential—as Max Mara. This year, the Italian brand marked its 75th anniversary with an ambitious celebration in Shanghai, transforming the Long Museum into both the stage for its Resort 2027 runway presentation and the home of a major archival exhibition, “The Max!” Together, the two events offered a sweeping reflection on the house’s history while pointing confidently toward its future.
Rather than looking backward with nostalgia, Max Mara approached the milestone as an opportunity to examine what has made the brand resonate with generations of women. The result was a multifaceted celebration that explored the intersection of tailoring, innovation, practicality, and timeless style—the qualities that have defined the house since its founding in 1951.
Max Mara Celebrates 75 Years of Style with a Shanghai Spectacle
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Staged beneath the soaring vaulted architecture of Shanghai’s Long Museum, the Resort 2027 collection arrived under the title “Kinetic Chic.” Rather than centering the collection around a single muse, Max Mara dedicated the season to the collective spirit of the women who have worn the brand throughout its history. The show imagined them as a composite heroine—independent, confident, and modern.
The collection revisited key elements from the Max Mara archive, reworking them through a contemporary lens. Familiar motifs returned with renewed energy: bold stripes, geometric patterns, and the brand’s signature palette of camel, cognac, khaki, black, white, and vibrant Max Mara red. Elsewhere, flashes of paillettes and saturated color introduced moments of surprise and playfulness.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Silhouettes balanced precision and ease. Oversized coats projected confidence, while sharply tailored jackets, structured skirts, and cropped trousers reflected the practical elegance that has long defined the house. Throughout the collection, Max Mara reaffirmed its belief that fashion should simplify life rather than complicate it—a philosophy rooted in founder Achille Maramotti’s desire “to make the ordinary extraordinary.”
Shanghai itself also left its mark on the collection. Subtle references to local dress appeared in the form of merino wool cheongsams, quilted silk jackets, and crisp shirts featuring traditional pankou fastenings. These gestures created a dialogue between Italian craftsmanship and Chinese cultural heritage, reinforcing the global perspective that has become central to the brand’s identity.
Inside “TheMax Mara Celebrates 75 Years of Style with a Shanghai Spectacle Max!” Exhibition
Courtesy of Max Mara.
If the runway show explored the present and future of Max Mara, “The Max!” exhibition offered visitors a deeper understanding of how the brand arrived here. Curated by fashion historian Olivier Saillard, the exhibition opened to the public immediately following the show and transformed the museum into an immersive archive of Max Mara’s history.
The exhibition takes its name from the founder’s original choice of the word “Max,” intended to signify the maximum—the very best. Conceived as a living archive, the presentation drew inspiration from the company’s Biblioteca e Archivio d’Impresa (BAI) in Reggio Emilia, where decades of Max Mara history are preserved.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Rather than displaying objects as static museum pieces, “The Max!” recreated the atmosphere of an active archive. Garments, sketches, fabrics, photographs, documents, and accessories emerged from storage crates and archival structures, encouraging visitors to discover the stories behind the brand’s evolution.
The exhibition unfolded across nine thematic chapters, tracing everything from the Maramotti cutting and sewing school and the company’s earliest factory to the development of its visual language, tailoring expertise, iconic garments, and enduring relationship with color. Together, the sections highlighted how Max Mara helped define Italian ready-to-wear through a unique combination of sartorial craftsmanship and industrial innovation.
Looking Ahead to the Next 75 Years
Courtesy of Max Mara.
A recurring theme throughout both the exhibition and the runway presentation was the idea of the future. The anniversary slogan—“75 Years of Future”—captures Max Mara’s belief that heritage is most valuable when it serves as a foundation for continued innovation.
That perspective helps explain why the brand chose Shanghai as the site of its celebration. As Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti noted, the city reflects another pillar of the company’s philosophy: the importance of travel, curiosity, and cultural exchange as sources of knowledge and inspiration. Those ideas have guided Max Mara since its earliest days and continue to shape how the house engages with women around the world.
The exhibition extended beyond the galleries into a specially designed museum bookstore, where visitors encountered archival-inspired displays, anniversary merchandise, and a towering Teddy Bear Coat installation—a tribute to one of the house’s most beloved contemporary icons.
Together, the Resort 2027 collection and “The Max!” demonstrated why Max Mara remains one of fashion’s most enduring success stories. Seventy-five years after its founding, the brand continues to champion a vision of elegance rooted not in trends, but in intelligent design, practicality, and confidence. In Shanghai, Max Mara celebrated its past—but more importantly, it made a compelling case for its future.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
Courtesy of Max Mara.
