Max Mara Spring/Summer 2025: A Journey Through Fashion and Mathematics Inspired by Hypatia

Is mathematics really a dry sequence of numbers without magic? Ian Griffiths, the creative director of Max Mara, doesn't think so. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection takes us on a journey through space and time to Alexandria, Egypt, where mathematician, philosopher and astronomer Hypatia lived in 4th century AD. Max Mara is known for recognizing female pioneers who open up paths previously considered unthinkable. This time Griffiths faces an equally tough challenge: to make us discover the charm of numbers, physics, and mathematical reasoning. "We tend not to talk about the technical aspects of fashion, but in modeling itself there is calculation, precision, geometry. I wanted to adopt a creative approach to the construction of the model," explained the designer.

Unexpected games run through the collection which translate an equation into the clothes. Trigonometry is traced in sartorial seams across every look, proving that exasperation is banned at Max Mara. The shirts have arrow-shaped pleats adorning the under-shoulder area buttoning up on the back, perhaps revealing a little bit of skin through oval cut-outs. Sometimes they lengthen to become dresses draping down the side, a tribute to the clothes of the time of Hypatia. The strong color of the season is a warm and intense brown, but the collection is decidedly cool, adding a beautiful touch of dark blue. The collection's protagonist is the jacket, worn over tight-fitting knitted dresses, figure-hugging skirts, and elegant shorts. "Together with dresses, jackets are the most useful piece to build a good summer wardrobe," concluded Griffiths during the pre-show, "you take them off and put them on, you match them with everything."