’Everyone’s favourite fashion teddy,’ is how Italian fashion house Max Mara describes its Teddy Coat, an enveloping piece of outerwear designed by creative director Ian Griffiths which this year celebrates its 10th birthday. Inspired by a 1980s design Griffiths had discovered in the house archive, the cocooning design – with abundant, oversized proportions – takes its name from the supersoft ‘teddy bear’ fabric it’s made from.
Teddy Ten: inside Max Mara’s ‘Fluffy Residence’
Opening today (16 December 2023) celebrations – which have so far taken place in Chengdu, China, Milan and New York – arrive in London’s Covent Garden during the buzzing pre-Christmas rush, with a suitably transporting ‘fluffy residence’, an immersive walk-through pop-up evocative of an apartment, complete with furry teddy-clad walls, furnishings (from kitchen appliances and a laid table, to tiny details like jade roller in the bathroom or a teddy version of an iPhone) and even an enormous teddy bear hovering over the bed. As such, it provides a magical escape from the bustle of last-minute shopping – complete with ‘magic mirror‘ which transforms the viewer into its own ‘teddy alter ego’ (Max Mara says it’s ’teddy’s favourite gadget’).
Elsewhere, a series of interactive windows give views across an imagined city – naturally clad entirely in fluffy teddy fabric, and fit for the fairytale spirit of the season. Max Mara calls the space ‘intimate and enchanting’, crafting it as an ‘imagined’ residence for the ultimate Teddy Coat wearer – a woman who ‘never forsakes the warmth of hosting a dinner with friends’. As such, Max Mara says the residence is open to all – especially families (fittingly, for the anniversary, the house has created a miniature version of the Teddy Coat for intergenerational coordination).
The ‘Fluffy Residence’ continues festivities which began in New York where a ‘Teddy Ten’ pop-up opened in the city’s SoHo district, coinciding with the arrival of fashion week in the city (a similar pop-up in Harrods opened the following November). Max Mara has deemed it the ‘great big global fashion adventure’.
Alongside, the house has created a series of special-edition pieces inspired by the Teddy Coat, spanning teddy-covered mittens, ear muffs and hats, as well as a new ‘sparkling’ iteration primed for the abandon of the season. Alongside the children’s version, the entire collection is available from Harrods).
Max Mara’s The Fluffy Residence runs from 16-26 December 2023 (except 2t December) on Russell Street, Covent Garden. Reservations are not essential but fast access can be booked at maxmara.com.
The Teddy Coat and 10th anniversary collection is available from Harrods
