Italian womenswear label Max Mara is celebrating its 75th anniversary in Shanghai, China, with an exhibition at the Long Museum, “The Max!”, which is open to the public until June 28. It was here at the same galleries that its cruise 2027 collection was unveiled on Tuesday night, with a fashion show attended by celebrities including Michelle Yeoh, Eileen Gu, Katie Holmes and Maude Apatow.

Curated by fashion historian Olivier Saillard, the exhibition brings the Max Mara archives to life, with a focus on its bestselling coats, which have become staples in women’s wardrobes around the world.

From the 101801, first created in 1981 by Anne-Marie Beretta, to the Teddy Bear, designed by current creative director Ian Griffiths and released in 2013, Max Mara’s signature coats take pride of place in the museum.

As part of the project, the label also released three limited-edition coats to commemorate the milestone anniversary. They’re all reissues of archival pieces reworked in extremely light pure cashmere. Each demonstrates how those silhouettes remain current and relevant after so many years.

Max Mara began to hold shows for its cruise collections in 2018, and has since debuted the midseason range in cities such as Berlin, Stockholm and Lisbon. Futuristic and forward-looking Shanghai was an apt choice for this year’s show, explained Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti in an interview before the event.

“We’re very excited to be celebrating the 75th anniversary of Max Mara here in Shanghai,” said Maramotti, a board member of the Max Mara Fashion Group and the granddaughter of company founder Achille Maramotti. “When we decided to show cruise 2027 here and go on this journey through the archives in the Long Museum, the idea was to showcase the collection in a city that is a symbol of novelty and future.

“So the message we wanted to relay was that, yes, we’re celebrating 75 years of history, but we’re looking ahead. And the archives are part of a story that is never static but alive because, as a team, we always use them to nurture creativity and transmit the values of the brand.”

Named Kinetic Chic, the collection is a celebration of 75 years of timeless style, but it’s far from nostalgic. Modern and energetic, the collection is meant for women on the go, busy types with places to be and things to do.