The year was 1951, as Italy was rebuilding itself in the wake of war, when Achille Maramotti launched Max Mara with a vision to dress the new generation of women shaping the country’s future. Fittingly, that same year, Ruth Orkin’s famous photograph American Girl in Italy captured a woman confidently navigating Florence’s streets alone — a powerful symbol of independence and change. And it's this era of transformation that Max Mara’s Cruise 2026 collection pays tribute to, celebrating the resilience and spirit of women both past and present.
While the fashion spotlight of the time shone on aristocratic glamour, Maramotti quietly focused on creating elegant, wearable clothes for Italy’s emerging professional class. His designs embraced the Italian ideal of bella figura — put simply, the art of presenting oneself beautifully and effortlessly. This marked a departure from Parisian couture’s formality at the time, introducing a new, unpretentious way of dressing that was both refined and practical, perfectly suited to the rhythm of a changing society.
Today, Max Mara’s Creative Director Ian Griffiths builds on that founding vision. “The collection is a love letter to the women of Naples who are all fire and spirit,” he told RUSSH Editor-in-Chief Jess Blanch ahead of the show. “There is something about Naples because of its history. People live here every day as if it were their last and that gives such an enormous energy – obviously there are historical reasons for it such as earthquakes and plagues and eruptions – but here in Naples you have this desire to rebuild, and the renaissance that happened after the war, you feel it here more than anywhere.”
Fast forward to the current day, and Max Mara's 2026 Cruise collection draws inspiration from the rich cultural tapestry of 1950s Naples, a city immortalised in classic Italian cinema. The passion and strength of Neapolitan women — captured in films by De Filippo, De Sica, and De Santis — resonate throughout the collection, which celebrates bold femininity with a modern twist. A special collaboration with Marinella, Naples’ renowned tie maker, brings this era vividly to life. “Maurizio Marinella is a friend of the Maramotti family and I was wanting to explore the dandy aspect of Naples style so I made an appointment to go see him,” Griffiths explained. “We got on really well and went to his archive and we picked out some fabrics that were designed in 1951 and we incorporated various man-ish elements into the collection. I always like to contrast masculine with feminine.”
The show unfolded within the stunning baroque architecture of La Reggia di Caserta, a palace described by Griffiths as “a kind of swan song to baroque.” Choosing the setting was deliberate — but so was the contrast. “It was the most beautiful setting I could think of. But do I work with the setting, or do I work in contrast to it?” Griffiths said. “To work with it would have meant elaborate ball gowns and that’s not Max Mara, so I took the opposite path. The woman who walks down those marble stairs will do so with complete nonchalance. She'll be dressed elegantly, informally. She doesn’t feel intimidated because she is a woman of confidence.”
Through it all, Max Mara honoured the enduring legacy of “Venere Vesuviana” — the mythical Venus of Vesuvius — who has long embodied the timeless beauty and strength of Italian womanhood. It’s this duality — rooted history and forward-looking design — that continues to define the house’s quiet power.
