There’s an artist who has succeeded in modelling and shaping time. An artist able to dig deep into memory, bringing its layers, smells and emotions back to life, using water, air, earth and fire. An artist who believes that it’s in the material that the spirit of every human being is concealed. The Max Mara Atelier F/W 2020-2021 collection draws its inspiration from the research conducted by this artist, Anselm Kiefer: 12 coats, impressed upon which is the secret aspiration of material to shape the world, referring back to the origins of time, in which it’s the space occupied by the coat that defines the architecture of the human body, modelling and shaping its volumes to dress different figures. A refuge, a castle, or a home in the woods?

The items satisfy and interpret women’s desire to transform themselves every day, revealing all the possibilities and identities implicit in the coat: enveloping, shaped, long, oversize, masculine, fully-fashioned, redingote, trench, foulard, cardigan or reversible. In cashmere, camelhair, yarn-dyed alpaca, shearling and mohair, all consistent with the light, soft approach that guides the collection.

The Max Mara Atelier coats are all about overlaying materials, with quality evident to the touch, and exquisite style tucked away in the linings, the horn buckles, the tailored stitching, the invisible details of the seams, the leather inserts that mark the edges, the silver and gold-coloured fleece elements that contrast with the rougher, felted surfaces that mimic the rugged features of wild, unspoilt landscapes. The colours of the coats, in opaque shades that give off unanticipated shimmering metallic reflections, offer a reminder of how all the elements blend magically in nature, skilfully mixing white, black, grey and camel.

Max Mara Atelier coats are created to last, transmitting the secret alchemy behind the ceaseless pursuit of perfect beauty.