To The Max

Hot on the heels of 60 years in business, Max Mara continues to stand as an iconic reference for classic style. Dedications to high design and quality of construction are at the helm of the brand’s philosophy and have been since its onset. Yet modern implementations keep Max Mara thriving through original approaches to functionality and interactive platforms for customer participation on all new levels.

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS STYLE

In 1951, Achille Maramotti took a departure from his studied craft—law—to tap into his family’s roots—ready-to-wear. The beginning was simple. The release of a camel overcoat and a classic red suit would set the tone for the Max Mara brand for decades to come. Success was rapid, and the ride has yet to slow down.

Within 20 years, Maramotti had not only established the aesthetic for the Max Mara brand—strong, clean lines approached softly for a sophisticated end result—but he’d also given birth to a diffusion line of sorts: Sportmax transferred the Max Mara DNA to a collection for young women with a defined sense of style. Fast-forward and we touch upon the heart of a brand that is not only still relevant, but continues to birth new approaches of dressing through technology.

THE POWER OF MANY

While the roster of chairmen and women at Max Mara still bears the Maramotti last name, the journey to greatness has included other great collaborators. Design powerhouses, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Narciso Rodriguez, and Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have all, at one time or another, sported the Max Mara team jersey. And Max Mara’s commitment to talented team members is not restricted to the already established; the brand taps raw talent from some of the most prestigious international design schools as well.

It’s a clever move, seeing how the fashion house now offers various collections with a myriad of identities all speaking to fundamentals of quality and timeless style. Under the Max Mara umbrella stands a collection of brands that include Max Mara, Sportmax, ‘S Max Mara, Weekend by Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Sportmax Code, Sportmax Beachwear, and Max Mara Elegante, Occhiali, and Hosiery.  The impressive display shouldn’t be a shock to many. Max Mara places equal importance of relaying their message as they do to creating it. The brand’s communications efforts are major, and as a result so are the communicators. The campaigns have been encapsulated through the lenses of some of the world’s very best photographers, such as Steven Klein, Steven Meisel, Richard Avedon, and Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

STAYING CURRENT

While the backbone remains the same, Max Mara’s execution has shifted with the times. The brand continues to make strides in terms of delivering the most practical hallmark pieces for the modern-day busy girl.

Take the Margaux bag, for instance. The cornerstone of the Fall/Winter 2010 collection, Margaux was created purely as an option for lugging your Max Mara coat and the other usual suspects taking up residence in your handbag (read: wallet, Tic-Tacs, etc). Or how about the Cube, a Siberian goose down jacket that offers superior thermal performance while being completely customizable. This piece is only one example of the artful approach of the ‘S Max Mara collection, which was created in 1999 on two basic concepts: fashion and functionality. Reversible in both color and material, the Cube can be made warmer by clipping in a waist coast of any of the available colors and also accessorized by adding belts, cuffs, or collars. Sleeve lengths alternate in a single step as does the position of the hood.

The Cube offers so many options that it has become the star of the Max Mara Fashion Group’s vey first iPhone app, appropriately named Decode The Cube. The interactive game is a clever spinoff of a traditional puzzle. Created to test the player’s memory, images of the ‘S Max Mara Fall/Winter 2010 campaign are flashed on screen—just once—and then scrambled into a jumble disarray of pieced imagery. In order to decode, one must rotate the pieces and reunite them with their proper neighbor to get to the end result: the Cube coat intact. And what will Max Mara give you for your efforts? Decode the Cube once, and you’ll be instantly entered in a weekly sweepstakes to win a Cube coat of your very own. And for those with a photographic memory finely tuned enough to beat the system three times, you may find yourself en route to Milan, Max Mara style.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

With 22 collections in 2,258 locations in 100 countries to date, Max Mara Fashion Group shows no sign of slowing down. Their message of style is continually executed in a very unique manner, and women are embracing it entirely. And that message is about a lifestyle that’s captured in the work of the contributors, flounce of a swing coat, the captivating imagery of their campaigns, and within the pages of the MM Magazine distributed in the stores. And as we round the bend on year 59, we eagerly await the tricks that Max Mara  is sure to have up their highly designed, completely convertible, and stowable sleeves.