The Max Mara Atelier project is proof of how an industrial fashion company, producing for global markets and a vast consumer base, can not just keep its standards of quality highly consistent, but also have the ambition to set the bar even higher, venturing into almost demi-couture territory. The 12 coats the label produces every Fall and distributes only in its top 50 stores are made by hand for around 80 percent of the process. No small feat for an industrial company.
Every coat in the Atelier collection had a distinctive personality, like the women that will be lucky enough to get one. Each shape was different, suited to accommodate diverse body types. Volumes were cut following different geometric templates: circle, square, rectangle. Yet the look was softly structured, gently cocooning the body in a luxurious embrace of double cashmere, alpacas, felted wool-cashmeres, camel hair wools, brushed mohairs. A touch of fur surfaced on collars and detachable gilets; mink dyed in a precious moonlight-silver shade had a shimmering brilliance. It graced the goose-down padded lining of a streamlined masculine coat, belted high at the waist with a knotted sash. Textures were richly substantial, yet had a malleable, sensual feel. Even the most rigorous shape seemed to melt into fabulous nothingness.
The color palette was restrained to camel, albino, navy, khaki, and deep red. A shade of slate gray featured prominently in the collection; it was an homage to Italian artist Giuseppe Uncini, famous in the ‘60s for his sculptural works using concrete and steel, whose dense textures were referenced in a pale-gray-coated alpaca coat. Neatly trapeze-cut and trimmed with a mohair ribbon in a darker shade of cement, it looked elegant and modern, with just the right amount of cool.
