Max Mara marks 75 years with Shanghai runway

For its 75th birthday, Max Mara is staging Resort 2027 in Shanghai at the Long Museum, weaving archival history and Asian references into a Kinetic Chic collection, with Glenn Martens’ and Ian Griffiths’ visions unfolding under a show curated by Olivier Sailla

When the runway finally lights up, Shanghai feels ready for a new kind of fashion story—one that doesn’t ask the city to shrink. Max Mara has chosen the Long Museum for its Resort 2027 presentation, turning the Chinese metropolis into both backdrop and thesis for a label celebrating 75 years.

Ian Griffiths, speaking in a preview, frames the move east as a matter of identity rather than aesthetics. “New York may be the city that never sleeps. but Shanghai doesn’t even sit down. ” said Griffiths. quoting Patricia Marx of The New Yorker. After nearly four decades at Max Mara, he returns to the same instinct—show the brand through place. “Max Mara, for me, has always been a metropolitan phenomenon,” he told Harper’s Bazaar. “I wanted to show it in a city because after 75 years. that’s what Max Mara is about: it’s about urban chic. it’s about a woman who really wants or needs to engage with a city.”.

He also insists the modernity he wants to explore doesn’t have to orbit Western centers. “Modernity doesn’t have to be Euro-centric or Western-centric—I wanted to explore the concept of modernity. and that’s what makes Shanghai unique: its rich culture and fusion of styles.” For Griffiths. the city’s pace isn’t background noise. “The city changes so rapidly, which is why it’s modern—it’s about knocking things down and starting again.”.

Inside the museum’s concrete walls, fashion doesn’t arrive alone. The Long Museum—known for its private art collection—hosts both the runway and a new exhibition titled The Max!. Curated by Olivier Saillard. it captures the spirit of the label Achille Maramotti launched in 1951. tracing its 75-year history through archival material sourced from the Biblioteca e Archivio d’Impresa. founded in 2003. Photos take the viewer back to atelier floors; sewing machines lead to early tailoring; sketches carry ideas forward with little loss of appeal.

Then comes the collection itself, described through its movement and its references. Going by Kinetic Chic, it moves “quite literally,” leaning into Asian influences with an all-Asian model lineup. The styling lands on Max Mara signatures reimagined through urban energy: quilting details on outerwear; sash-inspired belts that cinch silhouettes; cheongsam-like dresses with sequins dangling from their hems; and a heavy use of red. In China, Griffiths’ color logic is rooted in older systems. “In China, red isn’t treated lightly. Rooted in the ancient five elements theory. it sits somewhere between fire. the sun. and an abundance of luck. joy and vitality.”.

Shanghai, in other words, meets Max Mara on familiar terrain—at street level as much as on the catwalk. Red is woven into the urban landscape “on stop signs. traffic lights. sale signage. fast-food chains. ” and more. the report notes. before the focus snaps back to the garments: tailored suits. hooded blazers. Bauhaus-leaning graphic patterns. and sequined overalls. Sequined overalls aren’t treated as an aside; they’re flagged as a recurring theme. The icons—coats and bags included—are built into the show without hesitation. with Glenn Martens’ design direction and the guests’ attention both returning to them.

Among the faces in the room are Katie Holmes and Maude Apatow. After the show, they find those same pieces again at the museum shop, where the selection is briefly rebranded as a Max Mara boutique—an afterglow that keeps the Shanghai setting from fading as soon as the lights go down.

Max Mara Shanghai Resort 2027 Long Museum The Max! Olivier Saillard Ian Griffiths Glenn Martens Kinetic Chic Achille Maramotti Biblioteca e Archivio d’Impresa Katie Holmes Maude Apatow fashion exhibition