MILAN — Fashion nostalgia for the ‘90s — the decade that came as a palate cleanser against the glitz and excesses of the ‘80s — doesn’t seem to wane.
Lending his creative vision to the latest installment of the Max&Co.’s &Co.llaboration project, celebrity stylist Lorenzo Posocco resurrected the decade’s key tropes and codes of minimalism.
The image-maker, who has worked with the likes of Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan, Sabrina Carpenter and Vittoria Ceretti and others, also wanted to add a personal dimension to his collaboration with the brand.
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Aptly calling it “Found Family,” he referenced the family of friends and collaborators he has accrued over the years after moving from his native Veneto region to Milan, the city where his career as a celebrity stylist took off.
“As I was researching mood board images for the capsule, I found ‘90s pictures of groups of friends. I don’t like to call them a tribe, but more open families [of people] sharing the same codes in fashion, style and look,” Posocco said in a phone interview ahead of Milan Fashion Week.
“It’s a very modern and personal concept and a contemporary representation of today’s families,” he offered.
The idea of a like-minded community of friends sharing the same aesthetic was translated into a collection filled with essentials intended to be easily layered, mixed and matched or even swapped between members of the “found family.”
“I wouldn’t use the expression genderless, but it’s a cross wardrobe that has little gender connotation or any connotation at all,” Posocco said.
The lineup revolves around wardrobe staples — from the pencil skirt and leather duster coat to the biker shorts, pinafore frocks and slipdresses — clean and graphic in their minimalist silhouettes peppered by discreet details such as concealed zippered pockets and drawstring cuffs. They are crafted from high-end textiles, including certified materials such as organic cotton and recycled taffeta.
Working an understated color palette of grays, blacks, whites and blues, the collection balances the ‘90s minimalist and bourgeois look integral to the era with an edgier and younger spin, which brings to mind fashions from “The Matrix” films.
“I grew up in Italy reading L’Uomo Vogue [the now defunct menswear-leaning magazine] and we looked at Prada, Helmut Lang and Jil Sander as our references,” Posocco said.
Max&Co. was among the brands that gained a following in that decade and the stylist was particularly struck by the brand’s earlier look books curated by fashion editor Joe McKenna, who helped capture and define the ‘90s look.
“Max&Co. is a trendless brand, which has allowed customers to have access to high-quality fashion at accessible prices. This is one of their strengths, especially in 2024 when so there are too few brands in this segment,” he said.
The collection is rounded out by graphic accessories including leather mules and lace-ups, leather shopper bags and nylon boom bags, as well as sci-fi enveloping sunglasses.
A dedicated campaign shot by American photographer Michael Bailey-Gates will bow in tandem with the retail debut of the collection, slated for next February and March.
Max&Co.’s tie-up with Posocco marks the seventh installment of the &Co.llaboration project. Last February the brand linked with British designer Richard Quinn, following travel and style influencer Sofía Sanchez de Betak; stylist and fashion editor Anna Dello Russo; designer and curator Duro Olowu, and Efisio Rocco Marras, the creative director of I’m Isola Marras and son of designer Antonio Marras. The &Co.llaborations initiative kicked off with a co-branded capsule for spring 2022 created with Margherita Maccapani Missoni.
