Fashion brands that stand the test of time are able to find the fine balance between sticking to the classics, whilst also weaving in and out of trends that come and go. This is something one of the largest international fashion houses in the world, Max Mara, knows all too well.
With the Italian-born brand set to celebrate its 70th anniversary next year, it’s a label that’s stayed in the family for three generations. Founded by Achille Maramotti in 1951, his main aim was to showcase the craftsmanship Italy had to offer, providing well-made ready-to-wear clothes for women. With a single coat and suit design in the bank, the fashion house has become the go-to for many for staple wardrobe pieces.
Eventually Maramotti’s three children – sons Luigi and Ignazio and daughter Ludovica – went on to run the family business, with Luigi still chairman of the brand. Now, there’s also a third generation of the family involved with Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti, one of Maramotti’s granddaughters.
Twelve years ago Maria joined the ranks of the family business and is now the Retail Director for Max Mara Fashion Group. In that time she’s seen where the brand needed to go, in particular having the foresight to invite a younger generation into Max Mara’s demographic, putting forward the notion you can never go wrong with timeless, classic pieces.
While she’s always kept her family in mind, she looks at the brand “with a different set of eyes”.
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“You have to be flexible and constantly think of choices and needs which change much faster then they used to,” Maria tells EW. “DNA stays the same, but the way you decline it changes constantly.
“I have my own vision, and I work and act with my team according to it, and if necessary I will fight for it. It is the only way you can become your own businessperson, by standing up for what you believe is right for the brand.”
As for how she went about that, Maria explains she and her team went a “step ahead”.
“Sometimes an older generation does not perceive the value of certain things because they are not exposed to that, or they just do not understand what a younger generation might want,” she explains.
“We had to challenge ourselves into expressing the values of the brand in a way which was interesting to a different audience. And maybe make decisions which were different towards the ones we would make in the past. That to me has been one of the most rewarding experiences.”
There’s also been many milestones for Maria during her 12 years at the forefront of the brand. This has included the reopening of Max Mara’s flagship store in New York City, where Maria previously resided, with a whole new image, propelling the brand to success in the USA and beyond.
Another major highlight for Maria is the collaboration with the Whitney Museum in 2015, where Max Mara launched the Whitney Bag, which was created to celebrate the newly-designed building by architect Renzo Piano located in lower Manhattan. The bag echoes the design and structure of the Whitney Museum of Art.
“Max Mara has a long-standing relationship with the Whitney Museum,” Maria says of the partnership. “The relocation of the Museum five years ago seemed like the perfect opportunity for a collaboration.
“We wanted to produce an object which reflected the extraordinary quality and distinctiveness of Renzo Piano’s design for the building itself.”
Five years on, and the Whitney Bag has certainly become a staple amongst the classic Max Mara designs.
“It is one of the pieces which best represents the DNA of the brand, throughout the idea of design, craftsmanship, timeless and quality,” Maria believes. “It is a bag with a strong personality which represents the Max Mara brand with its own personality.”
In celebration of its fifth anniversary of the bag, a special edition of the Whitney bag has been designed. Paying homage to Florence Stettheimer, an American painter and feminist who features heavily within the Whitney, the new bag takes inspiration from the artist’s iconic piece ‘Sun’, created in 1931.
In-keeping with the tones of Stettheimer’s work ‘Sun’, the Whitney bag has been released in five different colours, all of which are lined with a floral print which, again, echoes the iconic piece of art, and there’s no doubt this latest edition of the bag will become a part of the classic Max Mara is so well-known for.
With the guidance of Maria and her team, there’s no doubt that Max Mara will be soaring on to further success, particularly in the GCC market, which the vice president of retail says is an extremely important market for the Italian brand.
“The UAE industry is very advanced, and very sensitive to trends and with a very strong sense of style,” she says.
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Images: Supplied
