BCBG vs Max Mara: Two Different Companies, Explained

BCBG and Max Mara are separate companies. BCBGMAXAZRIA, often written BCBG Max Azria, was founded in Los Angeles in 1989 by Max Azria. Max Mara is an Italian house founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti in Reggio Emilia. They share no founder, no country and no history; the shared word “Max” causes the mix up. This guide explains both, with the Max Mara collection at Coveti.

Key facts

• BCBG Max Azria: founded in 1989 in Los Angeles by Max Azria. The name comes from the French phrase “bon chic, bon genre”.
• Max Mara: founded in 1951 in Reggio Emilia, Italy, by Achille Maramotti (1927 to 2005). It began as Confezioni Maramotti.
• Relationship: none. They are separate companies with different founders, countries and histories.
• BCBG later history: the company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and was sold.
• Max Mara ownership: family owned, with Luigi Maramotti as chairman, and still based in Reggio Emilia.
• Max Mara is known for: coats, above all the 101801, the Manuela and the Teddy Bear coat.

Is BCBG owned by Max Mara?

No. BCBG has never been part of Max Mara, and Max Mara has never been part of BCBG. People search “BCBG Max Mara” because both labels contain “Max”: BCBG carries the name of its founder, Max Azria, and its full name runs together as BCBGMAXAZRIA. Max Mara often appears as one word, MaxMara, on labels and on the MaxMara Accessori line. Seen quickly, on a hanger in a resale shop, the two can look alike. They are not related.

If you want the full Max Mara background, our guide who is Max Mara covers the history, the family and the lines. The Max Mara collection at Coveti shows the current range.

BCBG vs Max Mara at a glance

Where the BCBG Max Mara confusion comes from

There are three reasons the names get mixed up. First, the shared word: “Max” is the founder’s first name in BCBG Max Azria and part of the house name in Max Mara. Second, the run together spelling: both brands print their names in capitals with no spaces, BCBGMAXAZRIA and MAXMARA, so a search engine and a tired shopper see similar strings. Third, both are names you meet in womenswear, so they turn up side by side in resale listings and search results.

That is where the similarity ends. Max Mara is an Italian family business with seven decades of history, a contemporary art collection (Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia) and the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, launched in 2005 with the Whitechapel Gallery. BCBG Max Azria is an American company founded nearly 40 years later.

How to tell a Max Mara label from a BCBG label

Read the whole name. A BCBG label reads BCBGMAXAZRIA and BCBG MAX AZRIA; the letters BCBG are the giveaway. A Max Mara label reads Max Mara, MaxMara and one of the house lines: Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori. If a label says “Mara”, it is Max Mara. If it says “Azria”, it is BCBG.

Then check the piece. Max Mara signature coats have very specific fabrics. The 101801, designed by Anne-Marie Beretta in 1981, is a double breasted camel coat in wool and cashmere with kimono sleeves. The Manuela is a pure camel hair wrap coat with a belt. The Teddy Bear coat is alpaca and wool pile on a silk base. A coat sold as one of these with a different composition label is not the real thing. For the full coat line up, see our Max Mara coats guide.

A short history of Max Mara

Achille Maramotti founded the business in Reggio Emilia in 1951 as Confezioni Maramotti. He lived from 1927 to 2005, and the company is still owned by his family, with Luigi Maramotti as chairman. The house built its name on coats. In 1981 the designer Anne-Marie Beretta created the 101801, a double breasted camel coat in wool and cashmere with kimono sleeves. The Manuela, a pure camel hair wrap coat, became a house classic. Ian Griffiths joined in 1987 and is now creative director, and Laura Lusuardi has been a long serving fashion director. In 2013 the Teddy Bear coat appeared on the Autumn/Winter runway, and in the same year Jennifer Garner became the brand’s first celebrity spokesperson. The Whitney Bag followed in 2015, created with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Outside fashion, Max Mara supports the arts. The Max Mara Art Prize for Women was launched in 2005 with the Whitechapel Gallery, the Collezione Maramotti holds a contemporary art collection in Reggio Emilia, and the Women In Film Max Mara Face of the Future Award was introduced in 2006. None of this history overlaps with BCBG, which began in California nearly four decades after Max Mara opened.

Buying secondhand: avoid the mix up

Most BCBG and Max Mara confusion happens on resale sites, where listings are written fast and photographed badly. Ask the seller for a clear photograph of the neck label and the fabric label. Search the style name as well as the brand: Max Mara coats carry names such as Madame, Manuela, Ludmilla and Tedgirl, and the line name is printed on the label. If a listing says “Max Mara” but the photographs show “Azria”, it is a BCBG piece, whatever the title says. When in doubt, buy from the brand, an authorised retailer and an established store such as Coveti, where each product page names the line and the composition. Our Max Mara size guide helps you check that the size on the label matches the one listed.

Which should you buy?

Choose by what you want from the piece. If you want a coat you will wear for many winters, a Max Mara coat is the reason most people know the name. If you are comparing prices, Max Mara has a range of lines: Weekend Max Mara starts lower, with coats on Coveti from $710 and knitwear from $380, while the main line and Atelier hold the signature coats. Our guide is Max Mara worth it sets out what you pay for, and brands like Max Mara lists the closest alternatives on Coveti, including Toteme and The Row.

Max Mara pieces to know

1. Madame 101801 Icon Coat in Camel

The house’s most recognised coat, in wool and cashmere with kimono sleeves. From $5,170.

2. Manuela Icon Coat in Camel

The pure camel hair wrap coat, belted at the waist. A house classic. From $4,290.

3. Teddy Bear Icon Coat in Camel

First shown in 2013 and designed by Ian Griffiths, here in camel hair on silk. From $5,280.

4. Ludmilla Icon Coat in Camel

A long, enveloping cashmere coat from the main line. From $8,470.

5. Weekend Max Mara Resina Double Breasted Wool Coat in Camel

The Weekend route into a camel coat. From $1,580.

6. Whitney Bag 4 Small in Turtledove

The bag created in 2015 with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the Whitney Museum. From $3,050.

7. Max Mara Studio Volpino Wool Blazer in Camel

Single breasted wool broadcloth tailoring from the Studio line. From $1,340.

Browse all women’s coats, the wool coat edit and blazers on Coveti.

Where can I buy Max Mara in the US?

Coveti stocks Max Mara and ships to the US by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority, insured and signed for on delivery. Prices are in US dollars and import duties are usually payable on arrival. Shop the Max Mara at Coveti edit, and see where to buy Max Mara for the UK, Canada, Australia and the UAE.

More Max Mara guides

• who is Max Mara
• Max Mara vs Sportmax
• where to buy Max Mara
• Max Mara coats guide
• is Max Mara worth it
• brands like Max Mara
• Italian luxury brands

Frequently asked questions

Are BCBG and Max Mara the same company?

No. BCBGMAXAZRIA was founded in Los Angeles in 1989 by Max Azria. Max Mara was founded in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1951 by Achille Maramotti. They are separate companies with different founders, countries and histories, and neither has ever owned the other. Max Mara is still owned by the Maramotti family.

What does BCBG stand for?

BCBG comes from the French phrase “bon chic, bon genre”. The full brand name, BCBGMAXAZRIA, adds the name of its founder, Max Azria, who started the label in Los Angeles in 1989. It has no connection to Max Mara, the Italian house founded in 1951.

Why do people search for BCBG Max Mara?

Both names contain “Max” and both are often printed as one capitalised word, BCBGMAXAZRIA and MAXMARA. That makes them easy to mix up in a search bar and on a label, even though the companies are unrelated. Reading the whole label settles it in seconds.

Is Max Mara Italian?

Yes. Max Mara was founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, Italy, where it is still headquartered. The business is family owned, with Luigi Maramotti as chairman, and Ian Griffiths, who joined in 1987, is its creative director. It began as Confezioni Maramotti.

Is Max Mara more expensive than BCBG?

Max Mara is a luxury house, and its signature coats sit at the top of its range: at Coveti the Madame 101801 is from $5,170. Its Weekend Max Mara line starts lower, with knitwear from $380. Compare current prices directly before buying.

How can I tell a Max Mara label from BCBG?

Read the full name. A label with “Mara” and a house line such as Weekend Max Mara and ‘S Max Mara is Max Mara. A label with “BCBG” and “Azria” is BCBG Max Azria. On a signature Max Mara coat, also check the fabric label against the known composition.

Explore the full Max Mara collection, then read Max Mara vs Sportmax and our guide to Italian luxury brands.