Few designers understand a woman’s needs quite like Ian Griffiths does. His clothes are beautifully constructed, well designed, luxurious, and unapologetically wearable. The ladylike silhouette is enhanced, creating versatile, forever pieces in a palette of all the shades of camel, that nobody will ever tire of.
This season his fall collection was no exception, it was complacently feminine just as much as it was pragmatic. It was honest, and most of all there were no styling tricks or diversions, just faultless outerwear, and classy separates. Opting for the Swedish concept of Slojdforeningen as inspiration, which is the idea that beauty in design is achieved by a simple, pared back approach, the first model to hit the catwalk was bombshell Natasha Poly, completely clad in vibrant red, with a voluminous statement coat. As the collection continued with floor length coats, flannel pencil skirts, sheer roll neck sweaters and other cosy winter attire, 19-year-old Muslim model Halima Aden took to the catwalk during her debut fashion week.
For Ian Griffiths, she fulfilled the Maxmara woman’s persona, ‘Halima has such a strong personality that it shines through on the runway. She comes across as an intelligent, confident, ambitious, courageous woman.’ Market considerations, he says, were also a factor. ‘If you walk down a top-end shopping street in any major city, you wouldn’t be surprised to see a Max Mara coat worn with a hijab, so why shouldn’t our runway reflect that too?’
Can you tell us about the Fall 2017 collection that we are looking at today?
If we had to describe what the collection represents with one word, it would be class. For a few seasons now, we have been talking about a woman struggling to emerge in what is essentially a man’s world, but now we are celebrating the fact that that she is nearly at the top. With a great sense of pride this woman is almost at the summit, and now with one last push she arrives at the top.
Who is the Maxmara woman?
She is a woman with a great sense of dignity, intelligence, ability, and culture. I imagine that she plays the violin, she reads music, she reads proustic French. She is better than everyone else.
What are the colours of the season?
The colours are vigorously from what we call the pantheon of Maxmara. We have red, tobacco, a triumph of camel, black and a touch of gold.
What is your vision and direction for the brand?
Upwards, upwards, and upwards. We have been dressing women for their careers since the 1980s, when power dressing first emerged as a concept, and we have followed our customer as she has risen through the ranks. Younger customers are coming into the world of Maxmara and we are continuing to grow with them as they achieve greater heights.
What motivates you?
Maxmara! The woman I have been dressing for the past thirty years, her success, identity, personality, and her struggles are what inspire me.
Speaking of struggles, what do you think are the obstacles that the fashion industry now faces?
I think that the world is flooded with clothes, so people are looking for pieces that have meaning as many don’t. Fortunately, Maxmara as a brand has a heritage and tradition, so all of our collections have a meaning. So, for us maybe it is not such a problem and works as an advantage, as women come to us because they find something that has history, meaning, and iconicity.
What would you like to tell the woman of the Middle East?
I would like to tell them that Maxmara dresses women from all geographical regions, and all backgrounds, philosophies, and religions. Maxmara is a brand that respects women wherever they come from.
