MAX MARA RESORT 2020 COLLECTION – BERLIN

In the 30th anniversary year of the fall of the Wall, Max Mara salutes the renaissance of a great city. Berlin is a beacon for art, architecture and design. Alongside restored masterworks by Schinkel, Gropius and van der Rohe, there are ones by the new masters -Foster, Piano, Gehry, Libeskind and Chipperfield.

Max Mara’s approach has always been quasi-architectural, and the Neues Museum resonates with the brand’s design philosophy; a respect for heritage, history and storytelling, coupled with a commitment to modernism. Max Mara is honoured to be the first brand to show in this monumental and evocative space.

The museum contains one of the world’s most precious collections of prehistoric artifacts. There’s a striking modernity and sophistication about some of those things that were beaten out by hand in a time before time was measured. The exquisite precious metal objects from the Bronze Age – including one of the museum’s most dazzling exhibits, a gold leaf ceremonial helmet known as the Berlin Gold Hat- are the inspiration for a series of sculptural bracelets, necklaces and earrings designed in collaboration with jewelry designer Reema Pachachi. And the subtle gleam of ancient metal is also woven into handwoven looking fabrics that provide a foil to Max Mara’s impeccable cashmeres and pristine wools – realized in a characteristically sandy palette.

Berlin’s heroes and heroines are Max Mara’s too; in particular Marlene Dietrich, natürlich, and David Bowie, who lived here in one of his most creative periods. Both left an indelible mark on the city. Though they never met, they were mutually fascinated and co-starred in David Hemings’ 1978 Weimar period drama “Just a Gigolo”. Enigmatic, virtuosos of self-image, Bowie and Dietrich shared a penchant for sharp shouldered suits, wide legged trousers and tightly belted trench coats. All three classics appear in the collection -with neo- primitive raw-edged fringes that hark back to the museum’s collection.

Max Mara’s ‘Berlin coat’ is an homage to the city. Immaculate white, strictly tailored, its shoulders emphasized by embroidered flowers – an homage to the exquisite porcelain of Meissen, the epitome of German craftsmanship. It draws together the threads of a collection that combines design, history and emotion.

Prof. Dr. Matthias Wemhoff, Director of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History (Neues Museum) in Berlin says: “The Neues Museum is proud to be partnering with Max Mara on the occasion of its Resort 2020 Show, which is inspired by the city of Berlin and held in the momentous celebration of 30 Years Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Also the fact that Max Mara itself is strongly dedicated to making art available to the public and demonstrating outstanding support for the arts and young artists internationally, honours us to stage Max Mara’s Resort collection, which will mark another cultural highlight for this building. We are looking forward to have this iconic Italian fashion brand presenting its Resort collection for the first time in Germany in the Neues Museum.“