Max Mara looks out to Dadaism for AW22.
A feeling of transformation of everyday moments and life. This is what Ian Griffits wants to convey with this season’s Dada-inspired collection. He dived into researching the movement, after witnessing Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s work, an artist very closely linked to Dadaism whose work has been referenced across modern culture. “Making things we own more beautiful” was Taeuber-Arp’s motto across her life, and this was taken closely to heart by Griffits on Thursday.
Bringing the iconic Max Mara teddy bear coats into an exaggeration of the body, the designer wanted to examine how shape is seen in Dadaism, by creating a camel tulip bulb-esque trousers, extending at the waist and blending into the top, proportioning the body. A recreation of the infamous prints by Sophie Taeuber-Arp were also present, knitted into sleeveless tops, and skirts, matched with knitted thigh high beige boots that morph into a smooth leather finish at the sole. To complete the puffed look, oversized shearling fanny packs at the hips, with openings for the arms – cosy, cool and chic indeed. Another highlight was the enchanting use of colour – deep red head-to-toe knitted looks, flowing amongst the runway with matched balaclavas and shearling bags for perfect measure.
Overall, Max Mara has nailed fabrics down to the last millimetre, with incredibly sharp cuts and seams, sculpting the body without restriction and further giving it an extra ounce of breadth, fully completed by a perfect colour palette, locked into modern understated glamour.
