Max Mara Coats
- Posted by: angeli.krohmal
Italy is rightly considered one of the main centers where legendary brands are concentrated. And today - about one of them. Quality, rich history and passion for truly beautiful clothes are hard to overestimate - and Max Mara knows this firsthand. What makes their famous coats so good?
Dynasty
The founder of the Max Mara brand was a hereditary fan and creator of beautiful and quality clothing. Achille Maramotti inherited the love and knowledge of how to sew these or those things from his mother, Giulia, and the latter in turn learned all the secrets of cutting and sewing from his grandmother - the owner of a rather famous atelier in Reggio Emilia and beyond. Giulia became so involved in the family business that she founded a whole school for dressmakers. But her son initially did not intend to connect his life with the sewing business, having received a law degree. But in Italy just at that time - the post-war years - there was a much greater demand for practical and durable necessities than for expensive legal services. So young Achille decided to open a clothing store, given his family's knowledge and developed refined taste.
The first products in his store were coats and suits. Achille focused on French fashion, confident in its win-win nature, but also added a little Italian charm, not to shock, but on the contrary - to attract the local public. Taking into account a very difficult economic period, there was no sense to chase super expensive fashion offers, so initially the brand was positioned as democratic, with tailoring at local factories. At the same time, the young entrepreneur never skimped on quality materials, which became the key to the durability of his products. It was at the beginning of the fashion house's existence that the iconic laconic Camel coat was developed, which in the future would become a coveted must-have for all fashionistas around the world.
In the 1960s, the brand began to grow, offering an expanded range that included business and sports suits, and of course outerwear. This was helped by the strategy of cooperation with various designers, who were already quite famous in the fashion world at that time: Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Narciso Rodriguez and others.
Even then, the founder of the brand understood the importance of good advertising campaigns, and sought to realize them with famous photographers of the time. As in the case of designers, the best of the best were involved in the visualization work: Sarah Moon, Richard Avedon, David Sims.
At the end of the decade, the first expansion of the brand's assortment took place: a collection of youth clothing was created for the under-30s, which would later grow into a separate brand - Sportmax.
At the end of the 70s the brand for the first time created a double-breasted coat made of camel hair - 101801, quite exotic at that time. Its author is considered to be Italian designer Anne-Marie Beretta. The coat became so popular due to the convenience of free cut and warmth that it is still produced to this day. The advertising faces of this model were the representatives of the "Big Five" - Carla Bruni, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, which also contributed to the grandiose demand. It allegedly takes 73 surgeries to create the 101801 look.
To some extent, Max Mara was an innovator. In the 80's, the brand's clothes became really famous. In addition to purposeful work with the best representatives of the fashion industry on production and advertising, they were one of the first to sew clothes for plus-size clients. Not stopping at volumes, the fashion house launched the Marella collection - clothes for petite women of small stature. In addition, the brand paid attention to different stylistic offshoots. This is how Max Mara Weekend was created - an extensive collection for everyday wear and leisure. It includes simple basic pieces that can be easily combined with each other and that will never go out of fashion - because they are out of fashion. At the same time, the quality of the most basic tops, cardigans or pants is always high, and the material is chosen according to the same criteria as for the famous coats. We can say that the origins of casual style lie in the Max Mara brand.
Although the brand has never chased fast-changing trends, in the 90s, when there was a certain fashion chaos, the company did the right thing by sticking to its core direction. They emphasized the development of accessory lines, sunglasses, bags and more. Perfumes were not neglected either. In each product was felt the spirit of verified minimalist elegance, which is not out of fashion today.
This is how the brand has been developing ever since. The establishment of separate small directions in the form of whole brands under a common name allowed to cover a large number of very different stylistic requests, and segmentation by budget further expanded the audience, for example, the creation of the S-Max collection - almost a copy of the main line with lower prices. At the same time, the brand never leaves the luxury level.
21st century
In 2002 Achille Maramotti, the founder of the brand, left our world and traditionally the fashion label was inherited by his 3 children. They proudly continue their father's work, guided by the same principles. For example, the famous coat is re-released every year with small changes and variations. As before, the creation of various models requires from 20 to 30 percent of manual labor, which makes the choice of any piece of clothing by Max Mara a valuable investment in your own exquisite taste.
Teddy Bear Coat
The new legendary creation of the brand, which has already gone down in history along with coats, is a furry coat. Teddy Bear saw the light of day in 2013 and instantly became a super-hit, which was copied by brands all over the world. At Max Mara the Teddy Bear Coat is of course featured in all lines and the brand to meet the demand. It is inspired by 80's styles and silhouettes that were not so popular in their time, but have found a second life in the 21st century. Oversize cut and super soft wool, which fashion critics kindly compare to teddy bears, instantly appealed to all influencers and celebrities. In addition to the classic beige color, you can also find bright acidic shades for every taste.
What else to pay attention to?
The brand keeps up with the times, so their stylish solutions always come in handy. For example, Max Mara padded coats will be a great substitute for your favorite legendary coat if you are going for a long walk in wet weather. These models use waterproof fabric, and the variety in the form of bombers, vests and the exact coats will pleasantly please.
Remembering its origins, today the brand sews simply perfect jackets. Here, too, we will find an assortment: from everyday quiet classic variants and fashionable men's cut in women's guide to festive tuxedos in velvet, satin and silk.
Knitwear. Knowing the brand's passion for good yarns, cashmere products are a big favorite. Knitted pullovers, short and long cardigans will be a perfect addition to the brand's top in warm fall or cool summer evenings.
Black Tie. If it seems to you that the brand positions itself only as clothes for everyday life (though very refined) - it is not quite so. Going to the red carpet, stars often choose evening maxi gowns by Max Mara. Here too, restrained minimalism with a slight accent of Golden Hollywood rules the ball, and the choice of fabrics is huge: silk, jacquard, taffeta and even sequins are at your service.
Shoes. In addition to classic models such as loafers, loafers and slippers, the brand has sandals and, of course, sneakers. On the background of the popularity of its coat, the brand also has a model of incredibly cozy mules with a finish similar to Teddy Bear Coat.
2 times a year the brand also releases pret-a-porte collections, where you can see gorgeous runway models as a manifestation of pure art. Choose an accent piece from such collections, combine it with a coat, fur coat or oversize jacket and shine as a Max Mara girl!
The famous fashion house Max Mara from Italy has been presenting us great clothes for more than half a century, in particular the famous coats and fur coats. Warm clothes from Max Mara are first of all about quality, comfort and warmth. Every person interested in fashionable things will recognize the famous Teddy coat but the brand also presents other pieces of clothing. We offer to look at the already known models and other options worthy of attention.
