Max Mara presents the Resort 2024 collection in Stockholm: the spirit of northern European cities and the purity of Nordic design make Scandinavia a territory totally akin to Max Mara’s philosophy. However, it is the epic natural landscapes and a rich folk tradition, which evokes mystery and magic, that offer the brand a new inspiration.

Progressivism has always been part of Scandinavian culture. History remembers the Vikings for their raids, but very few know that they were also the forerunners of gender equality in northern Europe. Queen Christina of Sweden was an ante litteram feminist, before the theme of ‘liberation of women’ in the nineteenth century became current. In turn-of-the-century Scandinavia, philosophy influenced every aspect of culture. Henrik Ibsen never declared himself a feminist, but he is credited with inventing the concept of the ‘New Woman’ through works describing families in which women resist the pressures of a bourgeois, conservative and moralistic milieu.

Selma Lagerlöf sums up the spirit of the Max Mara Resort collection. Born into a wealthy Swedish family in 1858, she had radical views on the puritanical values of her era. As a writer, you have championed social change and progress with cutting-edge ideas about women’s roles and sexuality. Fully belonging to the world of Ibsen, and also to that of Munch, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, she embodies the Scandinavian contribution to modern gender identity. Lagerlöf has written tales of contemporary life, legends and fairy tales. In 1909 she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, a clear sign of the return of the folk heritage in Scandinavian culture.

Gigot sleeves, ankle-grazing skirts, elbow-length capes and to be worn with bow ties: the tailored silhouette and austere style of the 1900s are reinterpreted in a modern key in this Max Mara collection. In contrast, flowing tunics, long and short, embellished with black and ivory braids, pom-poms, tassels and studs echo folk motifs.

Midsommar is the folk festival that celebrates the gift of summer. One of the most fascinating traditions is that of the collection of seven types of wild flowers, Septem Flores: legend has it that anyone who is lucky enough to find them all will have to sleep by placing them under their pillow to be able to dream of their future love. Drawing inspiration from the watercolor archive of a herbarium, Max Mara renews the identity of the floral look. With prints of colorful branches and flowers, as if they were a Midsommar meadow, the collection presents looks for dreamy evenings, where contrasting white collars and cuffs recall urban atmospheres.

maxmara.com