Max Mara Crosses Borders with Its Cruise 2020 Collection

Max Mara is tearing down barriers for its Cruise 2020 collection. In the halls of the Neues Museum in Berlin, the Italian brand presented a 49-look collection of sharp white suits, sleek camel coats, gauzy tops, and strapless Grecian dresses. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall—a clear visual of breaking down borders.

The venue ideal in that it represents a mix of the past and present, housing prehistoric artifacts from the Bronze Age in a modern city with buildings designed by 21st Century masters like Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind. Indeed, the references to antiquity were apparent: prints that imbued the walls of ruins and accessories that looked like excavated objects. Combine with the architectural silhouettes, the lineup was a well-grounded embodiment of Berlin.

The collection also took inspiration from two of the city’s reputed heroes—Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie. Both toyed the perception of gender, blending masculine and feminine styles that celebrates idiosyncrasies. Indeed, many of the pieces imbued modern-day takes of Dietrich in Morocco and Bowie in The Hunger.