Milan Fashion Week kicked off, and walking the runway was none other than Italy’s largest fashion house, Max Mara. The luxury brand presented their Women’s Spring / Summer 2021 collection earlier today at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. 

Inspired by the renewal and reconstruction of the Italian Renaissance Era of the 15th and 16th centuries, Max Mara presented 44 looks that channel a modern take on the paggetto. Also adding to the inspiration board for the collection is the multimedia installation, ‘Silent Sticks’ created by Corin Sworn. 

Sworn was the winner of the 2013-2015 Max Mara Art Prize for Women. Her installation was inspired by commedia dell’arte, Italian Renaissance theatre with recurrent themes of identity, gender ambivalence and intrigue, tragedy, comedy, desire and magic. 

Stepping up to the rapid change currently taking place in the fashion world, the Spring/Summer 2021 Max Mara collection marks its place in the fashion sphere by bringing a variety of feminine silhouettes with a utilitarian spin. From graphic designs to sleeves that hang like capes, tabard meets the street smart parka. And with the addition of features such as big pockets, snap fasteners, and drawstrings, the looks offer versatile characteristics to the current demands in fashion. 

The collection is available in ochre, umbra, sienna, lamp black, and white with smudges of subtle color, like the powdery pastels of an Umbrian affresco. Much of the collection is a nod to the postwar fashion boom that shook Italy to its core. 

According to a press release, “Max Mara was always about ‘bella figura’, the credo of being your best by presenting your best self. Never has that credo been more sound than now.” The luxury fashion brand has pledged to design clothing that inspires the modern woman to feel ready and comfortable enough to take on the world. 

You can watch Max Mara’s Spring/Summer 2021 Fashion Show below: