Ashley Park On ‘Emily In Paris’ & Her Weekend Max Mara Collab

ACTOR, SINGER, MUSICIAN… Ashley Park can now add the title fashion designer to her repertoire. The Emily in Paris star is Weekend Max Mara’s latest collaborator, co-designing a collection called ‘A Weekend with Ashley Park’ for Spring/Summer 2025.

Available in 250 outlets globally, including Max Mara boutiques and department stores, the collection is accompanied by a campaign that was shot in and around Italy in breaks during the filming of Emily in Paris Season 4, which introduces Rome as a new location for the show (spoiler alert: Agence Grateau eventually opens an office in the city and the titular Emily Cooper temporarily relocates there). And interestingly, Mindy Chen — the vivacious chanteuse played by Park on the show — had quite some influence on the development of the collection.

“I wanted to delve into the storytelling capabilities of picking costumes for Mindy’s closet for specific scenes. Together with the creative team and the designer of Weekend Max Mara, we envisioned elements that were inspired by an ideal wardrobe for a perfect travel companion like Mindy to wear as she vacations along the stunning Mediterranean coast,” says Park. “From that starting point, the focus of the collection became how to capture beautiful moments across Mediterranean summer adventures, from the bustling streets of Paris to the sun-soaked shores of the European coastlines and sea. We envisioned lightweight and versatile fabrics, chic prints, sophistication and classic silhouettes from the timeless elegance of the ’50s. Skirts with flirty silhouettes, delicate fresh details, serene and opulent colour palettes and shape-celebrating styles.

“We wanted to capture the glamorous yet genuine spirit of Emily in Paris and translate it into a weekend collection that combines sophistication with a sense of wellbeing, comfort with chic poise and flirtatiousness with finesse,” Park continues. “We carefully selected fabrics that are light and luxurious, such as cotton ammagliato, silks, linen and denim. These materials are complemented by delicate yet impactful prints [inspired by] Lake Como areas and the Italian country.”

The collection, rendered mostly in cotton, linen and denim, features takes on Max Mara staples such as the trench coat, in this case emblazoned with green-and-pink artwork that riffs on a brushstroke motif. It’s Park’s favourite piece. She notes: “I’m so excited to see this on anyone, and honestly so happy to have it in my own closet!”

There are also sweet sundresses, cropped blouses, Capri pants and a raft of summery accessories including strappy sandals, mesh flat slingbacks embellished with pearls, costume jewellery pieces and, as well as a new take on Weekend Max Mara’s signature Pasticcino Bag, a puffy clutch that was first launched in 2016 and named after the Italian word for ‘small pastry’. The ‘A Weekend with Ashley Park’ iteration features the addition of an intricate woven basket.

Weekend Max Mara is an outdoors weekend capsule collection that was first launched in 1983 as an offshoot of the main Max Mara collection, and Park is the latest in a long roll call of guest designers. Previous collaborators have included American actor Lucy Hale, Austrian designer Arthur Arbesser, Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola, African American editor and stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, American interior designer Anthony Baratta and American artist Richard Saja.

Prior to this interview by email, BAZAAR Australia had caught up with Park in person twice over the past 12 months, firstly in December 2023 in London at The Fashion Awards (Park is an ambassador for Pandora, the presenting partner of the event), and then in Rome for several days of activities surrounding the premiere of Emily in Paris Season 4 Part II. Presented at the Space Cinema Moderno in Piazza della Repubblica on September 10, the premiere was attended by the entire cast and almost all the production crew, along with showrunner Darren Star, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and costume designer Marilyn Fitoussi.

During the previous day of cast interviews, held in suites at Hotel Eden, BAZAAR Australia spoke at length with Star about his penchant for making serial hit shows with a fashion twist, notably Sex and the City, And Just Like That and Emily In Paris.

Although Star admitted he had been initially reluctant to embrace the more extreme ideas of costume designers Patricia Field and, later, Fitoussi (now the primary costume designer on Emily in Paris) because he was concerned the costumes might overshadow the characters, he eventually caved in, he said, “Because I couldn’t fight it. I had to really divorce myself from reality and just embrace the entertainment value of it all. Because it is entertaining and, you know, I watch it and feel like, Wow. It’s visually just amazing. It’s like a Met Ball every episode.”

“Fashion is absolutely a main scene partner of our show,” echoes Park. “But I’ve learned the power of fashion as a storytelling device as I’ve always acknowledged that the fashion of our show is costumes for the characters … for what they are doing or experiencing or feeling in that scene, and how fashion can enhance what we want the audience to feel involved with in terms of the plot. I love that this show starts all sorts of conversations around fashion, and I’ve learned what risk-taking is in styling with intention. We are not telling people what fashion is, but rather that fashion is a source of self-expression and a personal journey that I hope we can inspire viewers to engage with and find what makes up their own personal fashion.” 

Did she seek any style guidance from Fitoussi or, for that matter, co-star Lily Collins for her Weekend Max Mara capsule? “I hold both these women closely in my heart and I’m so grateful for their friendship and collaboration in every way,” she says. “I absolutely think that my personal sense of fashion and humanity has been influenced and inspired by both Lily and Marilyn, especially as both are such champions of my own journey to find my singular voice and fashion sense … And I feel that this has absolutely given me the pure excitement and confidence to be able to infuse myself into this collection.”

This article originally appeared in the February 2025 issue of Harper’s BAZAAR Australia / New Zealand.