Scalamandré's Most Iconic Motif Was Just Reimagined as Luxury Womenswear
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Scalamandré’s Zebras wallcovering is one of the most iconic wallpapers of all time. Its storied history begins in the 1940s at Gino's, an Italian eatery on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The restaurant’s owner, Gino, dreamed of going on an African safari but couldn’t afford to travel, so he had his friend Valentino Crescenzi depict zebras and arrows on the walls—and the splashy design became synonymous with the restaurant. When a fire ravaged Gino’s in 1973, the owner called on his friends Franco and Flora Scalamandré to help restore the interiors. Flora illustrated her version of the original wallcovering by hand—and the zebra print pattern became an instant classic.
Since then, Scalamandré’s statement-making motif has been featured in countless interiors, earned a cult-like status with design lovers, and made cameos in movies such as Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite and Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums. However, starting today, Scalamandré’s Zebras will appear somewhere brand new: on ready-to-wear luxury clothing from MAE.
Sarah Mae Ettinger’s eponymous brand, MAE, is known for its classic, colorful and whimsical pieces. Since Scalamandré’s Zebras is one of her all-time favorite prints, Ettinger approached the brand with the idea of translating the motif into womenswear. Shortly into the design process, Ettinger and the Scalamandré team realized they shared the same Italian fabric mill that produced Zebras, so the collaboration felt kismet.
The two brands joined forces to reimagine the iconic motif as a jacquard for the first time in history (it was previously only available as a printed fabric or wallcovering). According to a media release, “Scalamandré’s signature Zebras now live as a showstopping tapestry, created exclusively in Italy. Each zebra is expertly woven into the warp and finished with a tonal black lurex, creating a subtle, luxurious sheen.”
Each piece of clothing created with the Petite Zebra Jacquard will be made to order in New York City with MAE’s signature approach to manufacturing. This intentional, small-batch production—coupled with Ettinger’s skilled craftsmanship—beautifully showcases Scalamandré’s iconic print in classic and glamorous silhouettes.
The MAE x Scalamandre collection will feature four pieces: The Audrey coat ($1495), the Hallie skirt ($1095), the Laurel dress ($1295), and the Alexa dress ($1395). All are available in sizes 0 to 16 and XXS to XXXL. The pieces are available to shop starting today through MAE’s website.
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