With its art and film prizes for women, Max Mara has long been a proponent of female recognition in the arts. In November 2015, the luxury Italian label extended this encouragement to the field of optical design, collaborating with the artist Maya Hayuk on a reinterpretation of its studded sunglasses designs in kaleidoscopic ‘stained-glass’ form. Now for S/S 2017, Max Mara has paired up with the British-born, New York-based visual artist Shantell Martin on a limited-edition sunglasses collection, the doodle-inspired artwork of each pair unique to the wearer.
‘The collection is super playful yet sophisticated,’ Martin explains of the curving cat-eye designs, created with the Italian optical company Safilo. They each feature digitally reproduced sections of an expansive black pen illustration she created on canvas for the collaboration. ‘The fact no two pairs are the same really explores the idea of self-identity,’ she explains of the project, which is titled ‘Prism in Motion’ and conceptualised around the idea of the multi-faceted Max Mara woman.
Martin’s designs reflects Max Mara’s penchant for a neutral colour palette. Photography: Roy Rochlin
Martin's stream of consciousness style features scribbled words and abstract faces inspired by those she meets, in black marker on a white background. 'There is something magical about working with black and white,’ Martin explains. ‘People are often drawn to different areas of the work and rediscover new things on subsequent viewings.’
She used innovative techniques to create her Max Mara artwork. ‘I 3D printed this drawing tool which allows me to draw with multiple markers, or different thicknesses of markers at the same time,’ she explains.‘I used that to create the initial framework of the drawing. Then I filled these negative spaces with words, faces and characters that reflected the idea of movement and conversation.’
The use of black and white resonates with Max Mara’s own aesthetic; the brand is renowned for its refined and natural colour palette. Its most recent A/W 2017 collection features an exploration of browns, reds, greys and blacks. ‘Anyone can create a line, but a lot of time goes into making a simple black line recognisably yours,' Martin says.
Each pair of sunglasses contains a unique digitally reproduced design, taken from an expansive black line on canvas piece created by Martin
Martin’s designs are made up of lines, words and abstract portraits of people that she meets. Photography: Roy Rochlin
The use of black and white resonates with Max Mara’s own pared back aesthetic. Photography: Roy Rochlin
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Max Mara website, and the Shantell Martin website
-
The gayest love story ever told: Jeremy Atherton Lin's memoir is a tribute to homeIn 'Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told', Jeremy Atherton Lin mixes memoir with a historical deep-dive into marriage equlaity
-
This monumental Valentino book is a true Italian fashion epicSpanning oral testimony, sketches and magazine spreads, ‘Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic’ (published by Taschen) charts the career of Valentino Garavani, whose mononymous Roman house would define a vision of Italian glamour
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never beforeThe Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
In Japan, Weekend Max Mara’s ‘Pasticcino’ bag is transformed with local craftThe third leg of Weekend Max Mara’s ‘Pasticcino’ bag tour touches down in Kyoto, Japan, where the country’s craft heritage inspires a bounty of riches
-
Inside Cutler and Gross’ ‘warm and inviting’ New York addressAs Cutler and Gross upsize to a new store on New York’s Mercer Street, we speak to designers Chris Leong and Dominic Leong of New York-based architecture firm Leong Leong about the space, which was inspired by ’archival libraries and reading rooms’
-
At under two grams, Lindberg’s sunglasses are impossibly lightweightLindberg’s ‘Sun Titanium’ collection combines featherweight construction with the brand’s timeless Danish design philosophy, making them the easiest addition to your packing list this summer
-
Highlights from the jet-setting Cruise 2025 showsOur pick of the globe-trotting Cruise 2025 shows, from Dior’s takeover of Drummond Castle, Scotland to Max Mara’s season finale in Venice
-
Brunello Cucinelli takes a Roman holiday to launch new eyewear collectionWallpaper* joined Brunello Cucinelli’s opulent festivities at Rome’s Villa Aurelia, which heralded a new eyewear collection created in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica
-
This season’s womenswear channels freedom and escapeThese S/S 2024 womenswear looks promise an escape from the everyday, and are photographed amid the otherwordly landscapes of the Canary Islands for the March 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper*
-
Inside Max Mara’s teddy-filled ‘fluffy residence‘ in London’s Covent GardenA transporting escape amid the bustle of last-minute shopping, Max Mara’s immersive new London pop-up continues their Teddy Coat tenth-anniversary by creating an apartment entirely covered in fluffy teddy fabric
-
Modern classic: Max Mara toasts ten years of the Teddy CoatMax Mara celebrates the tenth anniversary of Ian Griffiths’ Teddy Coat, a cocooning style which is now firmly part of the Italian house’s famed outerwear canon
