A Look Into the History Behind Max Mara
In celebration of Max Mara's Spring/Summer 2025 collection, L'OFFICIEL looks back at the beloved brand's origins.
The Italian luxury house Max Mara has long been an iconic name in fashion, known for its timelessness and high-end charm, which it has continued to produce for hundreds of years.
With Max Mara's popularity among fashion lovers and celebrities alike, the brand's iconic pieces include its signature coats, which are styled in every way imaginable by names like Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, and Angelina Jolie.
The legacy behind Max Mara goes much deeper than many recognize. Its origins began with a passion and deep love for tailoring.
As Max Mara prepares to showcase its Spring/Summer 2025 collection tomorrow for Milan Fashion Week, L'OFFICIEL takes a deep dive into the brand's history and how it became the iconic fashion house it is today.
History
Tailoring and a deep commitment to dressmaking have long been a part of the Max Mara legacy. In 1850, Marina Rinaldi, the great-grandmother of the brand’s founder Cavaliere Achille Maramotti, ran a workshop in the heart of Reggio Emilia. Known for its artisanal craftsmanship and attention to detail, this passion for quality was later passed down to her granddaughter, Giulia Fontanesi Maramotti, who began teaching herself sewing and patternmaking in 1925. She even published a series of volumes on the “theory of cutting.”
In 1951, within this heritage of craftsmanship, Cavaliere Achille Maramotti was inspired by his family's history in tailoring and established the first company of the Max Mara Group. The word 'Mara' is his last name shortened, focusing on a name that would be easily recognized internationally. His goal was to create high-end women's clothing, something that has remained to this day.
Max Mara’s success has been reinforced by the strategic use of cutting-edge product distribution models, including luxurious single-brand boutiques on iconic shopping streets around the world—Milan, Paris, London, Moscow, New York, Tokyo, and extending to South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Australia, Bahrain, and China. The brand’s global presence spans 105 countries, with over 2,500 single-brand stores and more than 10,000 multi-brand locations.
Today, Max Mara is still run by the Maramotti family – son and chairman Luigi Maramotti, helped by his brother Ignazio and sister Ludovica. Max Mara continues to strive to design for the fashion-conscious woman who embraces individuality and continues to invest in young designers to continue the ongoing innovative legacy of Max Mara.
