HABITO by Patricia Urquiola

“MY work IS EVERYDAY research

ABOUT how WE CAN inhabit A space OR

A LIVING experience IN DIFFERENT

dimensions. WHY not ALSO garments?”

— PATRICIA URQUIOLA

 

In a fusion of languages and visions, Urquiola’s talent as a multi-faceted architect and designer pervades the collection through savvy and refined combinations. Silhouettes are roomy, wide and loose and, in true Weekend Max Mara style, the collection balances personality and comfort for refined travelers and their fast-paced lives. “Sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone,” Patricia told me about the collaboration when we met at the presentation of the collection during Milan Fashion Week earlier this year.

“‘Habito’, in Spanish, refers to ‘habits’ and ‘to inhabit’ in the first person. My work is everyday research about how we can inhabit a space or a living experience in different dimensions. Why not also garments? They are pieces of our houses that we bring with us in our path. The collection’s narrative is about hybrid pieces that welcome you as a home. An emotional habitat,” says the artist, adding how Habito is a personal and intimate project for her.

Hybridization pervades the collection, in terms of eye-catching mismatches of contrasting graphic patterns, colors, textures and even parts of different silhouettes to unpredictable effect. So, a blouse is actually transformed into a jumper-blouse while coats and quilted jackets blend together seamlessly.

Coats are the most emblematic garments, the most pronounced expression of Urquiola's "hybridization." They are personalized reinterpretations of existing Weekend Max Mara silhouettes, primarily in cocoon-shapes, that bond traditional wools and ribbed knits with technical nylon, creating matte, shiny and reflective effects.

In a tribute to Urquiola’s roots, Habito also nods to traditional Spanish garments, represented via colorful hems, volumes, and folds. Urquiola also found her inspiration in the color palette in the works of the Bauhaus artists Josef and Anni Albers. Color plays a central role, expertly used to highlight the details or in gradient effects that wash over blouses and oversized knits.

The accessories complete the mood with a very personal take on the Chelsea boot in soft leather, featuring fringes, set on a lug sole. As for the Pasticcino Bag, Urquiola reinterprets the house’s iconic design with two fabrics: one with a padded vertical pattern for a 3D effect and the other one with diagonal lines that create an iridescent glow. The Pasticcino Bag’s distinctive boule clasps are further enlarged, creating an even bolder statement.