Is Max Mara A Luxury Brand? Everything You Need To Know

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Max Mara is a top Italian brand, offering a wide range of stunning clothing, bags, and shoes, but is Max Mara a luxury brand? This article has all the answers!

The historic Italian brand Max Mara is known for sleek, refined, and elegant ready-to-wear clothing and accessories that encompass that sophisticated European style. Max Mara’s exquisite clothing is a staple at Milan Fashion Week, with fashion editors looking forward to seeing what creative director Ian Griffiths shows on the catwalk this season.

But the question still remains; is Max Mara a luxury brand? Some see it as an Italian luxury brand because of its stylish clothing with expensive price tags, while others do not see Max Mara as a luxury brand because it is a smaller business compared to brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton with more affordable diffusion lines.

This article will look at the history of the brand, the quality of the products, and some of their best-selling pieces before answering the question, is Max Mara a luxury brand? Keep reading to find out!

is max mara a luxury brand?

The history of Max mara

Max Mara is an Italian fashion brand founded by Achille Maramotti in 1951, in the Reggio Emilia region of northern Italy. Achille Maramotti first began designing haute couture clothing in 1947 before establishing the House of Max Mara four years later.

Over the years, many fashion designers have been employed at Max Mara, designing incredible collections for the brand, including Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce and Gabbana, Narciso Rodriguez, and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. These designers created key collections for the brand, in particular Anne Marie Beretta who designed the iconic 101801 coat for Max Mara.

Luxury 101801 icon coat from Max Mara
Get the 101801 icon coat at Net-A-Porter


This famous Max Mara coat has an oversized silhouette, a double-breasted front, deconstructed sleeves, and classic lapels and is said to have played a part in influencing 1980s fashions.

The 101801 coat has been reinvented many times over the year, with artists such as William Wegman, Martine Barrat, and Valery Katsuba reinterpreting the coat. It is currently available in wool and leather from the Max Mara website.

Over the years the brand has grown significantly but it has always stayed within the Maramotti family. Currently, Achille’s son, Luigi Maramotti is the chairman, overseeing the expansion and creative directors of the family company.

The Max Mara fashion group now actually contains many different fashion lines and diffusion labels, each offering a different style of clothing at differing price ranges so there is something for every customer. Max Mara womenswear remains at the center, while the diffusion lines include the Sportmax collection, Sportmax Code, Penny Black, Weekend Max Mara, and Marina Rinaldi.

The Marina Rinaldi line is named after Achille’s great grandmother; the line was started in the 1980s and now offers a range of ready-to-wear plus-size clothing with around 300 stores all over the world. The Marina Rinaldi fashion brand was in fact one of the first lines to offer clothing for plus-size women.

At the moment, there are around 2,254 Max Mara stores across 90 countries, with flagship stores in London, New York, and Milan.

The quality of Max Mara

To determine whether Max Mara is a luxury brand, we need to take a look at the quality of Max Mara’s clothes and accessories by delving into the price range, materials, and craftsmanship of the brand.

1. price range

Let’s begin with the price range; many of the different lines under the Max Mara group are all available on the Max Mara website so these price ranges include a few different Max Mara.

In terms of clothing, dresses are available for between $250 and $2,450, t-shirts, shirts, and blouses range between $95 and $1,390, while pants, jeans, and skirts are sold for between $160 and $1,790.

Luxury Max Mara taupe blazer outfit
©Alberto Mihai / Depositphotos.com

Max Mara is well known for its high-quality outerwear so this can be a little more pricey; the most affordable outerwear available is $335, while the most expensive is $10,490.

If you are looking at accessories, bags are on offer for between $225 and $2,270, and shoes are available for between $575 and $1,375. The prices are pretty expensive, but perhaps not quite at the same level as a larger luxury brand such as Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent.

2. materials

The materials can tell us a lot about the quality of the clothing, bags, and shoes. The clothes, as expected, are made from a wide range of materials, including wool, silk, Nappa leather, cashmere, cotton, polyester, satin, triacetate, jacquard, nylon, suede, and viscose. The majority of these are high-quality, luxurious materials displaying the luxurious nature of Max Mara clothing.

The bags are often made from leather, including calf, Nappa, or cattle leather, as well as a variety of alternatives, such as nylon, cotton, polyester, and viscose. The shoes from Max Mara are generally made from more durable materials such as Nappa leather, suede, calf leather, ram leather, nylon, lamb leather, cattle leather, and goat leather to ensure the shoes stand the test of time.

The materials used in the accessories are quite typical of a top fashion brand, however, you may expect to see more lamb leather used to really show the luxurious nature of the brand.

3. craftsmanship

In terms of craftsmanship, all Max Mara clothes and accessories are made in Italy, where the family business was founded. By having headquarters and manufacturing facilities in the same country, the brand can ensure that all of its products are sold to the same high standard.

Best-selling pieces from Max Mara

There are lots of gorgeous products available from Max Mara, including a ready-to-wear collection, beautiful handbags, and incredible shoes, so we have narrowed it down to a few best-selling pieces that we think you will love.

1. Coats
Camel Max Mara Arona Belted Double Face Virgin Wool Wrap
Get this on Nordstrom

The Max Mara Arona Belted Double Face Virgin Wool Wrap Coat will really stand the test of time and is eternally stylish.

This hand-stitched camel coat has a classic, clean lines silhouette with notched lapels, wide, cropped sleeves, and a wrap-around front with a removable tie belt at the waist.

The coat itself is made from luxurious virgin wool, which looks just amazing and feels incredible too, plus the wool is super warm so you can wear this classic style coat for many winters to come. The coat is finished with the most important detail, two large side seam pockets!

2. dresses
Mint green Max Mara Orazio Cotton Trapeze Shirtdress
Get this on Neiman Marcus

We love the chic, timeless aesthetic of this Max Mara Orazio Cotton Trapeze Shirt dress that is so stylish.

This stunning shirtdress is made from breathable cotton for a super soft feel and comes in a pale mint green color which has a love fresh summer vibe. The dress is ideal for work with a sharp pointed collar, long sleeves with a button cuff, concealed button front, and a knee-length hemline.

The A-line silhouette is so flattering and ideal to throw on when the weather is starting to get a little warmer and you want to wear something comfortable. The chest welt pockets give this shirt dress a subtle utilitarian edge.

3. trousers
Off white Max Mara Alete Ankle Cargo Pants
Get this on Neiman Marcus

Cargo trousers are so trendy at the moment and we just love these neutral off-white Alete Ankle Cargo Pants from Max Mara. These cotton pants have a high-rise waistline, straight through the leg, and then a cropped ankle.

The large front and back pockets, and side loop detail ensure a totally practical, cargo look that is so fashionable right now. These beautiful pants are also part of a coordinating set, with a white bandeau top and oversized single breasted blazer, to get the full sophisticated Italian look.

These are such classic pants, which can be dressed up or down with neutral, earthy tones, or paired with a bright pop of color.

4. accessories
Brown Max Mara 59mm Gradient Geometric Sunglasses
Get these on Nordstrom

There are so many Max Mara accessories available, from leather bags to winter boots to glamorous heels, but we just loved the quirky, retro style of these Max Mara 59mm Gradient Geometric Sunglasses.

The sunglasses have a geometric-shaped frame and are available in a brown tortoiseshell shade, as pictured above, dark blue, grey, or red – so you can pick the perfect hue to suit your style!

All the Max Mara sunglasses are finished with a gleaming gold Max Mara logo on the arm of the glasses to add a little touch of glam. Add these vintage-inspired sunglasses to your collection as the perfect eye-catching accessory!

Conclusion

The Max Mara aesthetic is timelessly and classically chic, making a Max mara piece a great addition to any wardrobe, but can they be considered a luxury brand? If we look at the price range and materials, in particular, we can see that Max Mara is definitely a luxury brand in the middle of the luxury hierarchy.

The craftsmanship and materials are of higher quality than an entry-level luxury brand, but the prices are not quite up to the same high standard as the most well-known luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, for example.

If you are looking for a stylish and sophisticated coat, bag, or dress, then Max Mara is a great brand to go for because all of their clothes and accessories are so beautiful and exquisitely made.  

We hope you found this article answering the question, is Max Mara a luxury brand, helpful! For more luxury fashion content, check out the links below.

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