Brands Like Max Mara: 12 Labels for Coats, Tailoring and Bags

The best brands like Max Mara are Toteme, The Row, Khaite, Brunello Cucinelli and Lemaire, labels that share its focus on fine wool and cashmere, quiet colour and coats that last. For lower prices, look at The Frankie Shop and ME+EM. For bags in the same spirit as the Max Mara Whitney, try Valextra, Polene and DeMellier.

Key facts

• What Max Mara is: an Italian house founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, family owned, known above all for camel coats.
• What makes a brand “like Max Mara”: natural fibres, neutral colour, coats and tailoring at the centre, designs that do not date.
• Closest overall: Toteme and The Row for tone, Brunello Cucinelli for Italian fabric and cashmere.
• Best for lower prices: The Frankie Shop and ME+EM.
• Best for bags: Valextra, Polene and DeMellier, alongside Bottega Veneta.
• Sister label: Sportmax belongs to the same family group but is a separate label.
• Where to buy: Max Mara and the peers linked below are stocked on Coveti, which ships to the US.

What makes a brand similar to Max Mara?

Max Mara built its name on the coat. The 101801, designed by Anne-Marie Beretta in 1981, the Manuela in pure camel hair and the Teddy Bear coat, first shown in 2013, are the reasons most women first buy into the house. Around them sit tailoring, cashmere knitwear and calm, structured bags. A brand earns a place on this list if it shares at least two of those strengths: serious fabric, neutral colour and shapes that look as right in five years as they do now.

We have grouped the alternatives by what you want from them. Some match Max Mara on tone, some on fabric and some on price. Each linked brand is stocked on Coveti; the others are mentioned for completeness.

1. Toteme

The closest in spirit for many shoppers. Toteme works in the same narrow palette of camel, black, ivory and grey, and its wool coats, scarf-collar jackets and straight trousers would sit happily next to a Max Mara wrap coat. The tailoring is a touch more minimal and Scandinavian, and the prices are generally lower than Max Mara’s main line.

2. The Row

The Row is the choice if you want Max Mara’s quiet colour with an even more pared-back cut. The coats are long and sculptural, the knitwear is fine, and the bags are deliberately plain. It costs more than Max Mara in most categories, so think of it as a step up in price rather than an alternative.

3. Khaite

Khaite has a sharper, more glamorous edge, with strong shoulders, cashmere knits and leather. If you like the authority of a 101801 but want something with more drama, Khaite’s outerwear and knitwear make sense.

4. Brunello Cucinelli

For Italian fabric and cashmere, Brunello Cucinelli is Max Mara’s nearest peer. Both are Italian, both are associated with neutral colour and exceptional knitwear, and both appeal to women who prefer quality over logos. Cucinelli leans softer and more relaxed, with layered knits and lighter tailoring.

5. Lemaire

Lemaire offers fluid, utilitarian shapes in muted colour. Its coats and trousers are less formal than Max Mara’s, and its Croissant bag has a following of its own. It suits women who wear Weekend Max Mara and want something a little more relaxed.

6. The Frankie Shop

For a lower price, The Frankie Shop does oversized blazers, long coats and wide trousers in a neutral palette. The fabrics are not at Max Mara’s level, but the shapes nod in the same direction, and it is a good way to test a silhouette before investing.

7. ME+EM

ME+EM is the practical, workwear-friendly alternative: smart coats, tailoring and knitwear at prices closer to Weekend Max Mara than to the main line. It is a strong option for building a wardrobe around one Max Mara coat.

8. Alaia

Alaia is more body-conscious than Max Mara, but it shares a devotion to construction and to coats and knits that are built to last. Look at its tailored coats and knitwear rather than its evening pieces if Max Mara is your reference.

9. Bottega Veneta

Like Max Mara, Bottega Veneta is an Italian house that avoids loud logos. Its leather goods are the obvious draw, and the ready-to-wear includes sculpted coats and knitwear in rich, deep colours.

10. Valextra

If the Whitney Bag is what drew you to Max Mara, Valextra is the Italian bag house to try next. Its structured, logo-free leather bags have the same architectural calm as the Whitney.

11. Polene

Polene makes sculptural leather bags at a much lower price than Max Mara Accessori. The shapes are softer and more playful, and they pair well with a camel coat.

12. DeMellier

DeMellier offers clean, structured leather totes and shoulder bags that suit workwear, a practical companion to Max Mara tailoring. Read more about this look in our guide to old money bags.

Other brands people compare with Max Mara

A few names come up often in searches for Max Mara alternatives even though Coveti does not stock them. Loro Piana is the obvious one for cashmere and camel at a higher price. Jil Sander is a reference for minimal tailoring. Moncler is the usual comparison for Max Mara The Cube, the house’s padded and water-repellent outerwear line. Burberry is the name most people think of for trench coats, and Prada for Italian tailoring with a sharper edge. Sportmax, the separate sister label in the Max Mara family group, is younger in feel and more directional.

How do these brands compare with Max Mara?

How to choose a Max Mara alternative

Begin with the piece you actually want. If it is a camel coat, compare fabric first: read the composition and favour camel hair, cashmere and high wool content over polyester blends, which pill and lose shape sooner. Then check the shoulder. Max Mara’s 101801 has kimono sleeves that sit over a blazer, and many cheaper coats are cut too close to layer.

If it is tailoring, look at lining and finishing, since those details separate a blazer that lasts from one that sags. For bags, structure matters more than branding: a well-built top-handle bag in plain leather looks right with a Max Mara coat, whoever made it. Finally, be honest about price. A peer that costs half as much is good value only if you wear it as often as you would the original.

Why many women still choose Max Mara

Alternatives are useful, but Max Mara has two advantages few peers match. The first is the Icon coat range: shapes like the 101801 and the Manuela have been in production for decades, so you are buying a known quantity with a known fit. The second is breadth. Between the main line, Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier and Max Mara The Cube, the same house can dress you from a $230 Weekend piece to a $15,500 Atelier shearling. Read Is Max Mara worth it? for the value argument, and our Italian luxury brands guide for more Italian names.

Where can I buy Max Mara in the US?

Coveti stocks around 2,490 Max Mara pieces alongside every brand linked above, and ships to the US by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority. Duties are usually payable on import. Start on our Max Mara brand page.

A few Max Mara pieces to compare against

Before you buy an alternative, look at the Max Mara originals. These are the benchmarks.

1. Madame 101801 Icon Coat in Black

The 101801 in black virgin wool and cashmere, the benchmark for a double-breasted coat. From $5,170.

2. Manuela Icon Coat in Black

The pure camel hair wrap coat in black, for women who want quality with no camel. From $4,290.

3. Teddy Bear Icon Coat in Camel

The coat no alternative quite copies: oversized, light, with pile set on a silk base. From $5,280.

4. Tempera Wool and Alpaca Teddy Coat in Camel

Weekend Max Mara’s teddy coat in wool, alpaca and mohair, a gentler price for the look. From $1,670.

5. Volpino Single-Breasted Wool Broadcloth Blazer in Camel

Max Mara Studio’s camel blazer in pure virgin wool, a direct rival to the tailoring at Toteme and The Row. From $1,340.

6. Whitney Bag 5 Medium in Black

The signature calfskin bag designed with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, set against Valextra and DeMellier. From $3,470.

7. Seia Roomy Water-Repellent Puffer Jacket in Black

Max Mara The Cube’s roomy puffer, the house answer to the Moncler comparison. From $1,400.

Frequently asked questions

What brand is most similar to Max Mara?

Toteme is the most similar brand to Max Mara for overall tone, with neutral colour, wool coats and quiet tailoring at a lower price. For Italian fabric and cashmere, Brunello Cucinelli is the closest peer. The Row is similar in spirit but generally more expensive.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Max Mara coats?

Within the house, Weekend Max Mara and ‘S Max Mara sell most of their wool coats for between about $1,000 and $2,000 on Coveti. Outside it, The Frankie Shop and ME+EM sell long coats in similar shapes for less, though the fabrics are not at the same level.

Is Max Mara like Loro Piana?

Both are Italian and both are known for camel and cashmere, but Max Mara is built around the coat and has a much wider price range across its lines. Loro Piana is generally more expensive and better known for fabric and knitwear.

Is Sportmax the same as Max Mara?

No. Sportmax is a separate sister label within the same family group. It has its own collections and a younger, more directional style. Coveti stocks Max Mara and its lines, but not Sportmax.

Which bag brands are like Max Mara?

For structured, logo-free leather bags in the spirit of the Max Mara Whitney Bag, look at Valextra, Polene and DeMellier on Coveti, and at Bottega Veneta for Italian leather. Each favours clean shapes and quality leather over obvious branding.

What is the Max Mara equivalent of a Moncler puffer?

Max Mara The Cube is the house line for padded and water-repellent outerwear. Its puffers, gilets and long quilted coats are the direct comparison with Moncler, with Max Mara’s colour palette of camel, black and midnight blue.

Explore the house on our Max Mara brand page, read who Max Mara is, and see how the look fits into an old money style wardrobe.