For the Spring/Summer 2026 season, Weekend Max Mara presents a capsule collection that explores the relationship between fashion and art from a new perspective. This time, the brand’s iconic trench coat becomes the subject of creative experiments by five internationally recognised artists.
Within the project, signature Weekend Max Mara pieces turn into white canvases for Victoria Kosheleva, Paola Pivi, Tschabalala Self, Tai Shani and Shafei Xia. Each of them created an “artist’s trench” – a garment that fully reflects the artist’s vision, technique and creative identity.
The artist selection was led by renowned art critic, curator and writer Francesco Bonami, who previously served as director of the Venice Biennale, curated the Whitney Biennial, and is currently a board member of Gagosian Gallery, as well as director of the BYArtmatters Contemporary Art Museum in Hangzhou. The main criteria were originality, a strong visual language and balance between generations. Bonami ultimately chose artists known for creative freedom and independence from commercial trends.
“Our goal was to offer a space for individual and personal self-expression through an iconic garment – something that is fundamental to fashion when it speaks with a unique voice to its audience,” Bonami said.
Victoria Kosheleva, who combines contemporary and classical imagery through her own style of “cyber-expressionism”, worked directly on the trench prototype. Her hand-painted works were later translated into prints by Weekend Max Mara. For Kosheleva, the trench feels closer to a stage costume than everyday clothing, where chessboard patterns, ornamental eyes, complex curves and flowers exist in harmony. The concept comes from her ongoing interest in theatricality, masks and the “trickster” figure – a recurring character in her practice. “A coat is not just decoration. It is a mood, a state, a gesture – like carrying a piece of theatre, a dream and unanswered questions,” she notes.
Italian artist Paola Pivi often uses everyday objects in her work, changing their qualities and inviting viewers to rethink reality. Now based in Hawaii, she finds inspiration in the island’s sharp light, flora, fauna and the “double rainbow” that appears almost daily in the sky. This natural phenomenon became the base of her trench design: vertical, colourful stripes on the front and back create an hourglass shape, visually defining the waist.
Born in Harlem, Tschabalala Self is known for her paintings, prints and sculptures that explore identity and symbolism. Her glossy pastel-yellow trench is decorated with her signature pink “Infinity Flowers”. These flowers express the temporary beauty and fragility of nature, closely linked to the human body. Blooming every year, the Infinity Flower reminds us that change starts at the roots. The images on the coat were applied using a stamping method inspired by traditional batik techniques.
Multidisciplinary artist Tai Shani, who works across performance, film and experimental writing, chose black glossy vinyl for her trench coat. Her practice often explores themes around women, illness and solidarity, while rethinking feminine aesthetics such as floral or gothic styles. According to Shani, the black vinyl turns the trench into a mysterious and symbolic object.
Chinese artist Shafei Xia, based in Bologna, is known for a provocative and humorous style inspired by 19th-century Japanese shunga and Chinese erotic painting. For the trench, she created an image of a woman merging with a white tiger, placed on the back of the coat and surrounded by flowers. The image shows a contrast between calm and chaos, reflecting a constant struggle between life, love and destruction. The work was created using her signature technique: watercolour on sandalwood paper.
The campaign was shot by photographer and director Petra Collins, whose visual language has had a strong influence on contemporary photography. For this project, she made an unusual choice and appears in the images herself, embodying the artist. Collins wears all five trench coats, which are also photographed separately in still-life compositions. Set in an art-filled space, the campaign underlines the idea that this collection is a true treasure – and that each trench is a wearable work of art.
