Maths and Magic, it All Adds Up at Max Mara
Review of Max Mara Spring 2025 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Science, magic, precision
In all the column inches fawning over new brands selling the old concept of basics in the best fabrics and calling it ‘Quiet Luxury’, we are forgetting to acknowledge one of the originators of the pastime – Max Mara. In providing a considered wardrobe of forever classics they allow women to – without having to overthink it – get dressed to show up as the best version of themselves, no gimmicks or concerns over being on trend, speaking backstage Ian Griffiths told The Impression “Everything [she does] is perfectly thought through, and she does that in addition to all the things required of her, in her life. It’s our job at Max Mara to make that easy for her to achieve.”
Taking classic silhouettes such as the pencil skirt, the cocoon coat, and button-down shirt and renewing their relevance season-after-season, working within the framework of the Max Mara brand is no easy task. However Ian Griffiths, who has been with Max Mara for 37 years (an almost unimaginable anomaly in today’s circus which loves a game of musical chairs with creative directors) outperformed expectations for spring 2025, choosing to lead with a rich cocoa brown colour it was actually this simple addition that created part of the magic.
Taking a scientific approach to his shapes in todays show, Ian Griffiths revealed backstage that he looked to maths and science this season, and while the connection to fashion may not have appeared clear at first, it was in choosing a pioneering woman to spotlight (as has become a custom-of-sorts for the designer), that the mathematician, philosopher, astronomer and greatly loved teacher Hypatia came to the surface. In today’s notes it was revealed that much of the work of his muse was developed by Pythagoras and here was where the merging of mathematics and materiality began, stating “Those equations, expressed as diagrammatic triangles, are like the simple arrows that the dressmaker uses to transform a flat sheet into a three-dimensional living structure; magical, mystical darts.” In the process of creating something magical with nothing but the humble art of a fold we were treated to razor sharp surface interest on maxi column skirts and boxy woven tops – for these he experimented with folds at the shoulder seam. Simple science.
Griffiths also used “detailed technical construction” to according to the show notes elevate even a “modest poplin shirt to a design statement”, as it happened he reversed the button fastening to the back and applied the folds in an origami style formation across the body. Sharp cuts also spoke to the precision of clean mathematical lines separating sleeves so elbows poked through (another simple, but effective way to update a crisp white jacket) or just the sliver of midriff was laid bare. Evolution in economics.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I thought about darts, darts and clothes, thats geometry. And when my mother would make her paper patterns on the floor she was doing what Hypatia did, she was doing trigonometry. And these three-dimensional shapes that were created by folding little triangles out of fabric are magical.
Ian Griffiths, creative director, Max Mara
THE WRAP UP
This season at Max Mara there was a look to the certainty of mathematicians and scientists and how they are trying to make sense of a “messy old universe”. For Griffiths he wanted to use trigonometry to develop a hero design detail out of the humble dart.
In layering darts-on-darts, an origami effect came to the surface – quite literally – and in this experimental approach, which the designer admitted to never having tried before, he wanted to make this use of a precise technique as approachable as possible. As he told The Impression backstage “I don’t think that any woman wants to go into a Max Mara store and spend, just to look like she’s part of an experiment”. Confirming what we all know, the Max Mara woman simply wants “polish” and to look as if she is in control. Therefore it was interesting and exciting to see the addition of imperfect touches such as the crinkled fabric and random splicing for a woman who always loves to look so well put together.
