7 for 70: T-shirt Anniversary Capsule Collection

7: a number that in many ancient cultures signifies completeness, discovery and knowledge. It is often associated with the Sage archetype that represents intuition, meditation and precision.

 

7 artists, 7 special edition T-shirts celebrating Max Mara’s 70 years of fashion; renowned worldwide as the precursor of today’s prêt-à-porter.

 

It is a story told by these T-shirts through a series of images (all for wearing, of course).

 

Like the celebrated photographic shots by William Wegman of the highly elegant Weimaraner dogs wearing the Max Mara 101801 camel coat; the T-shirts in block prints by the renown illustrator François Berthoud; the sketches and drawings commissioned to the legendary pencil of Brunetta. There are even the irresistible nautical themed graphics by Brian Grimwood that were star of the scene in the Max Mara S/S 2016 runway show, and the poetic shots dedicated to classical ballet taken for the 2011 Moscow “COATS!” exhibition by Valery Katsuba with the étoiles of the Bolshoi. The teddy coat photographed by Brigitte Niedermair, who was inspired by Italian Renaissance paintings. Last but not least the graphic prints, seen on the F/W 2021 catwalk in Milan, inspired by Erberto Carboni’s work. These images swirl in a continuous dance between the past, present and future.

 

The T-shirts are in a luxurious and fresh, pure cotton jersey and feature beautifully finished appliqué panels. These are crafted specifically to enhance each artwork.

 

But why use T-shirts to celebrate such an important moment?

 

Because the T-shirt is not just a simple crew neck top with short sleeves and straight cut, it’s a “statement-garment”, unchanged by the flow of fashion and a real “blank canvas” that lends itself to infinite possibilities of communication with all the immediacy and swiftness demanded by our times. It is like a clothing form of Twitter (but long before Twitter’s arrival).

 

“The T-shirt is a really simple way to tell the world who and what you truly are”, said Dennis Nothdruft, head of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, and curator of the important exhibition “T-SHIRT: CULT - CULTURE - SUBVERSION” dedicated to this piece of clothing. It may be the most simple of garments, yet it respects, reveals (and strengthens) the identity of the wearer and is metaphor for the Max Mara fashion ethos over the last 70 years.