How does a brand known for its luxe, classic aesthetic evolve while staying true to its heritage? Annabelle Fernandez speaks to Maria Giulia Maramotti, director of retail for North America and Max Mara scion, about unexpected collaborators, embracing trends and attracting a new generation of customers.
How does a brand known for its luxe, classic aesthetic evolve while staying true to its heritage? Annabelle Fernandez speaks to Maria Giulia Maramotti, director of retail for North America and Max Mara scion, about unexpected collaborators, embracing trends and attracting a new generation of customers.
Irene Kim is talking about her first memory of Max Mara. In Shanghai to attend Max Mara’s pre-fall 2017 show, the popular Korean digital influencer shares, “My first memory was seeing pieces from Max Mara in my mum’s closet. What’s cool is that how my mum styles her coats and how I style the coats is completely different, but it works.” She continues, “I thought they would be very traditional because it’s such a prestigious brand, but they’re actually really cool. And I don’t think a lot of people know that.”
If they hadn’t known it before, everyone in attendance at the Shanghai Exhibition Center definitely became aware of it after the show. And if you need further proof of how cool Max Mara really is, you need only to look to Maria Giulia Maramotti. A third-generation heiress to the Max Mara legacy, her grandfather, Achille Maramotti, founded the brand in 1951. When we meet, the 32-year-old is wearing a black t-shirt with a grey pantsuit, with various tattoos peeking out, and her tousled hair nonchalantly scraped back into a bun. Classic, with an edge—the perfect representation of the brand and its continued evolution.
How did the collaboration with Chinese artist Liu Wei—on a capsule collection and the set-up of the prefall 2017 show—come about?
This is the first time that we partnered with an artist in the conception of a collection. The idea came about because we were doing something here [in Shanghai] as a family and also because, as a brand, we are very invested in art. It would have been easier to pick an Italian or American artist that we’ve worked with before, but the idea of doing something with a Chinese artist was interesting because it would push boundaries for us.
The capsule collection was available as “see-now, buy-now.” Is this something Max Mara will continue doing in the future?
It was a way of celebrating the show and of bringing this special moment to a broader public. [But] there is a very important aspect to the production and conception of a collection that requires a time frame, so it’s one thing to do it for a capsule collection, and another to do it for a whole collection. That would be a boundary that I don’t know if we’re ready to break... I don’t know if the business will ever be ready to break. There’s also the value of time. There’s a component of desire that comes from waiting. I mean, people are ready to wait two years for an Hermès Birkin.
As someone who grew up within the brand, what is your role in bringing it to a new generation of customers?
I’ve lived and breathed the brand since I was born. I deeply understand it and it’s in my DNA, which helps. I believe the idea of a third generation joining the company, and being active in the management of the business and the image of the brand, is important. I don’t like the word revolution. There may be brands that are about being revolutionary but that’s not us. We are a brand that needs to evolve, and I think the idea of a third generation growing within the business is about evolving.
Who is the Max Mara woman in 2017 and beyond?
The beauty of Max Mara is that the same dress can be for a woman in her 20s to her 70s. Yes, you want to reach a younger generation but you don’t want to forget about that other woman. The Max Mara woman is contemporary—she travels the world, she speaks for herself, she loves fashion but is not a fashionista. And she is strong. She is a woman of her time and these times are tough. So she’s a tough one.
What is the significance of initiatives such as the Max Mara Art Prize for Women to the brand?
Historically, our idea was to empower women through the clothing. And as a brand, the way we have always wanted to operate is to celebrate and empower women who are involved in the arts. The partnership with the institutions involved in the Max Mara Art Prize for Women is the idea of giving the artist visibility in the visual art world, which is still very difficult for women. For us, it was really important to support women in industries that are not necessarily women-friendly. It’s the norm and I think it is changing, but as a brand we want to support it.
