Sportmax, the trendy line by Max Mara, has launched the ‘Sportmax Archive’ project. Whether a market test or communication ploy, the initiative is wholly unprecedented for the Italian fashion group’s avant-garde line, which is putting on sale a selection of vintage items for a limited time, only 48 hours.

Sportmax did not specify exactly how many items are on sale, simply saying it is “a special anthology of looks from 2006.” The selection includes coats, blazers, dresses, skirts and tops from the Sportmax pre-collections and ready-to-wear runway shows.

To access the sale, exclusively on the Sportmax e-shop, customers must first register for the label’s newsletter. The initiative kicked off at 2 pm CET on Monday April 22, and will end at the same time on Wednesday April 24. For the more fortunate fans, who happened to be in Milan for Design Week, eight archive items were also available at the Sportmax store on via della Spiga last week.

Sportmax was created in 1969, and has always been in synch with the latest fashion trends and societal changes. It was one of the first labels to introduce the concept of ‘total looks’, with easy-to-match items, especially dresses, sleeved tops, trench coats and knitwear. Tailored items, leather, pleated dresses, jerseys, colourful graphics and a sporty attitude are the other key standout elements of the label’s style. Sportmax first showed in Milan in 1976, well before its grown-up sibling Max Mara.