Dsweet like a teddy bear, enveloping like a hug, glamorous like a star. Serious, but also ironic. Complete ten years an overcoat that appeals to all ages. And the Teddy Bear Coatthe most loved and successful coat of the fashion house Max Mara.
«I’m starting to think that on my tombstone it will be written: he invented the “Teddy Bear Coat”». He immediately reveals his typically English humour Ian GriffithsThe designer at the creative helm of Max Marawhen he speaks of his “best seller”, the bear coat. The iconic overcoat today celebrates 10 years since its debut and seems to have no intention of growing old. The secret to success? Not one, but many. «His appeal lasted more than one season, first of all because he is capable of perfectly describing and representing our era and everything we feel, our desires and our anxieties». It is characterized by a fabric that recalls that of plush toys, but with an additional quality: «It is softer, because it has a silk core that makes it fluid and light».
The particular texture and the special volume reveal its “childish” spirit. It satisfies all of us’s desire for protection, our desire to be pampered.” Extremely glamorous, it does not go unnoticed, «it is an overcoat that announces itself», as confirmed by the many stars who have chosen it, from Lady Gaga to Julia Roberts. «When we were preparing the Teddy Bear Coat’s debut show in 2013, we presented a preview to Mrs. Carine Roitfeld, then director of Vogue Paris, who asked me if he could borrow the coat the day after the show. At that moment I understood, from his reaction, that our leader could have a brilliant future.”
Without age
A triumph that brought an important change in the history of this Italian fashion house. «The Teddy Bear Coat has invited a younger clientele to enter Max Mara stores. However, without losing consensus or excluding the customers we already had. Today we are speaking to a new generation and the credit for this success is also due to him.” A “new” style but at the same time capable of preserving and not betraying the values of the brand. «It has the ability to continue our narrative with continuity our history linked toheritage by Max Mara, to our corporate values. Which are respect for the female audience, the desire to empowermentthe desire to make women stronger, more aware and emancipated.”
Designed for women
A brand not simply driven by the desire to amaze and fascinate, but also determined to “do”. «I identify with the brand 100 percent, in particular for the respect for the customers it addresses. I’m lucky to work in an industry that allows me to help women feel better. Compared to a doctor, a philosophy professor, a scientific researcher, what I did is certainly less important. But it’s something, I can say that I gave it too my contribution to improving the condition of women».
Julia Roberts in New York with white Teddy Bear Coat.
A communion of intentions that Ian Griffiths and this maison have been linked for over thirty years. «I am English and Max Mara is Italian, apparently we have nothing in common, but there is chemistry. In Italy there is a long tradition of the beautiful figure. In England, however, we are known for our eccentricity. Putting together this beautiful elegance with something unexpected gives life to a new freshness.” As the Teddy Bear Coat: a classic with the pleasure of a whim.
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