When Ian Griffiths, the creative force behind Max Mara, decided upon Venice as the backdrop for his destination Resort 2025 collection, it was the allure of the floating city’s canals and gilded archways that drew him in; a city steeped in beauty and history that has seen centuries of wealth, trade, and a profound appreciation for art. “Everyone’s talking about luxury in terms of crisis,” Griffiths begins, “and I wanted to shine a light on the history of luxury. Venice can truly say it was there at the beginning”.
A trained architect, Griffiths’ designs have long spoken of the romance between architecture and fashion, evident in his reverence for the city’s Gothic structures. He recalls the “beautiful, pointed arches” and “decorative ogees” – features drawn into the fabric itself, embodying the city’s distinct, almost fantastical character. “I always think of clothes, particularly coats, as closer to a house than it is to any other items of clothing in your wardrobe,” Griffiths says. “You inhabit a coat. You don’t wear it. It’s a shelter.”
Lagoon-side at the Doge’s Palace, the Resort 25 showing unfolded like a palette cleanser; opening with Angelina Kendall caped in a swathe of sand-toned fabric, pinned by a brooch. What followed was a series of refined and thoughtfully balanced pieces that harnessed the elegance of simplicity, while still taking subtle cues from the city’s Gothic motifs. Feather-light shirt dresses and bishop-sleeved tunics were drawn in by oversized silk tassels, slung from belts at the waist and hip. Collars and cuffs were stiff and accentuated, peering out from beneath structured shirting and oversized, metallic knits. A tonal affair, the show moved through its signature camel hue to beige, cream, burgundy, slate grey, gold and ebony ensembles, each look grounded by pointed, T-bar flats.
“You inhabit a coat. You don’t wear it. It’s a shelter.”
Griffiths has breathed life into Max Mara through celebrating the strength of the women who wear his clothes. Venice, with its legacy of powerful women, provided the perfect muse. He speaks of individuals like Caterina Cornaro, the Queen of Cyprus, and the celebrated poet-courtesan Veronica Franco. And yet, it’s not any one woman who defines the Resort 25 collection; Griffiths has fashioned an amalgam, a combined spirit of Venetian femininity that is elegant, dignified, and commanding. “I think of her [the Venetian woman] a bit like Portia from The Merchant of Venice,” he muses, “the one that’s able to cut right through everything and see things as they are, with great elegance and nobility, and to see the solution.”
The collection isn’t the first time Griffiths has pulled together an aggregate of inspiration from a destination, and the women who inhabit it. His Resort shows have become an homage to the distinct spirit of various locales, from Portugal’s erotic feminism, embodied by free-thinker Natália Correia, to Sweden’s intellectual sensibility, inspired by Nobel Laureate, Selma Lagerlöf. “Each place we show in highlights a different aspect of Max Mara’s philosophy,” Griffiths explains. Staging this show in Venice, for him, is a tribute to the timelessness of luxury – a reminder that, despite shifting economies, luxury is an eternal pursuit, just as relevant today as it was in the days of Marco Polo.
But Griffiths’ inspiration extends beyond place to philosophy. He speaks passionately about the multiculturalism inherent in Max Mara’s collections. “It all boils down to respect for the woman who wears the clothes,” he notes, acknowledging that not every piece will suit every woman’s needs, but that each collection, he hopes, holds something that resonates universally.
At the heart of Max Mara’s appeal is a unique vision of luxury that transcends mere aesthetics. Griffiths wants his pieces to empower, offering freedom from the self-consciousness that ill-fitting or overly conspicuous fashion can impose. “Empowering clothes are ones you put on and forget about,” he says, “women traditionally haven’t had that luxury”. He’s clear: fashion shouldn’t be a “cruel trick”, something that tantalises with an unreachable ideal and then leaves one feeling inadequate. For Griffiths, Max Mara is about enhancing life, not inconveniencing it. “I’ve always felt that fashion should make you feel better, not worse, about yourself.”
This season’s materials are selected with an eye to Venice’s own legacy of luxury – silk, cashmere, and camel. “The Silk Road was famous for its silk, of course,” he laughs, “and we’ve used a lot of it”. The fabric choices are deliberate, linking Max Mara’s offerings to a long tradition of fine materials and craftsmanship traded across centuries. This ethos is both modern and ancient, grounded in Griffiths’ aspiration to create pieces that are not just fashionable, but that are artifacts of luxury. It’s about honouring the past while remaining firmly in the present.
"...I’ve had the luxury of knowing who the Max Mara woman is, and getting to know her over a period of many, many years.”
When Griffiths speaks of the Max Mara woman, there’s reverence in his voice. “It’s always women wearing Max Mara and never Max Mara being worn by women,” he states. In his view, empowering clothes are ones that don’t demand attention but support the woman in her daily life, allowing her to navigate the world with ease and confidence. This season, he revisits pieces from his graduating collection from 40 years ago at Manchester Polytechnic – silhouettes originally inspired by his first trip to Italy, a trip that introduced him to Venice. “Those clothes sat in my attic for years, and they’re still wearable today. That’s gratifying,” he says.
As Griffiths reflects on his career at Max Mara, he speaks of the privilege of time – a luxury in itself, he acknowledges, in the fastpaced world of fashion. “If I compare myself to creative directors at other brands, who chop and change every two or three seasons, and who are expected to affect instant and noticeable, visible change, without ever having the time to understand what that brand is really about, I’ve had the luxury of knowing who the Max Mara woman is, and getting to know her over a period of many, many years.” He envisions his legacy as one of enrichment, leaving behind a foundation that his successor can build upon. “I want to leave a design culture that’s stronger than when I inherited it,” he says, “a legacy that the next designer can take and make their own.
