Max Mara vs Sportmax: How the Max Mara Group Lines Differ

Sportmax is a sister label within the Max Mara group, launched in 1969. It sells under its own name. Max Mara itself, founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, covers Max Mara, Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori. Coveti does not stock Sportmax, but the Max Mara collection at Coveti covers all of those lines.

Key facts

• Sportmax: part of the Max Mara group, launched in 1969, sold under its own name.
• Max Mara: founded in 1951 in Reggio Emilia, Italy, by Achille Maramotti. Family owned, with Luigi Maramotti as chairman.
• Lines sold under the Max Mara name: Max Mara, Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori.
• Creative director of Max Mara: Ian Griffiths, who joined the house in 1987.
• At Coveti: all the Max Mara lines above, from $270 for a Weekend Max Mara bag to $15,500 for an Atelier coat. Sportmax is not stocked.

Is Sportmax the same as Max Mara?

Sportmax belongs to the same group, but it is not a Max Mara line. It launched in 1969, almost two decades after Achille Maramotti founded Max Mara, and it carries its own name on the label instead of “Max Mara”. That is the main thing to understand when you search “Max Mara Sportmax”: they share a parent, not an identity. A Sportmax piece is labelled Sportmax; a piece from any of the Max Mara lines carries the Max Mara name in some form, such as Weekend Max Mara and ‘S Max Mara.

For the house history and the family behind it, read who is Max Mara. To shop the lines Coveti carries, go to the Max Mara collection at Coveti.

The Max Mara group lines compared

The prices below are the current starting prices on Coveti, taken from live products. Sportmax is listed for reference only.

How the Max Mara lines differ

Max Mara is the main line and the home of the signature coats. The Madame 101801 Icon Coat, designed by Anne-Marie Beretta in 1981, is the most recognised of them, and the line also covers silk dresses and cashmere knitwear. Our Max Mara coats guide compares the signature coats in detail.

Max Mara Atelier sits at the top of the price range. On Coveti, Atelier coats start at $5,600 and include pieces such as the Genzana Wool and Alpaca Redingote Coat.

‘S Max Mara is known for its coats in double faced wool and broadcloth, such as the Poldo Wool Broadcloth Robe Coat, with prices between Weekend and the main line.

Max Mara Studio focuses on tailoring and wardrobe pieces: blazers like the Quagga Belted Wool Flannel Blazer, wool coats and shirt dresses. Read Max Mara jackets and blazers for the full tailoring edit.

Weekend Max Mara is the relaxed, more accessible line, with coats from $710 and knitwear from $380 on Coveti. It is where the Pasticcino bag lives. Our guide to Weekend Max Mara covers it in depth.

Max Mara The Cube is the padded and water repellent outerwear line: puffers, quilted coats and padded capes. See Max Mara The Cube and our edit of women’s puffer jackets.

MaxMara Accessori makes the bags, including the Whitney Bag, created in 2015 with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art, plus teddy capes, belts and gloves.

How to choose between the Max Mara lines

Start with the piece you want. For a signature coat, go to the main line: the 101801, the Manuela, the Teddy Bear coat and the Ludmilla all sit there, and they are the coats people mean when they say “a Max Mara coat”. For a coat that does the same job for less, Weekend Max Mara and ‘S Max Mara are the places to look, with camel wool coats from a fraction of the main line price. For a wet climate, Max Mara The Cube makes padded, water repellent coats that cope with rain in London and snow in Toronto.

Then think about how you dress. If your week runs on tailoring, Max Mara Studio has blazers and wool trousers that work as suits. If it runs on knitwear and jeans, Weekend Max Mara is built for that. For a special occasion, the main line’s silk dresses and the runway pieces are the strongest choice; our guide to Max Mara dresses covers them.

Sizing is the same across the lines. Max Mara uses Italian sizes: IT 40 equals UK 8 and US 4, IT 42 equals UK 10 and US 6, and IT 44 equals UK 12 and US 8. Weekend and ‘S Max Mara coats are often cut with room for a knit, so most women take their usual size. Our Max Mara size guide has the full chart.

If you came looking for Sportmax

Coveti does not stock Sportmax, so we cannot compare its current prices and pieces here. If Sportmax was on your list, these are the Max Mara lines on Coveti worth a look first. Weekend Max Mara is the most relaxed and the most affordable. ‘S Max Mara has the most modern coat shapes after the main line. Max Mara Studio covers the tailoring. And the runway pieces from the main line, such as the Tempo Alpaca and Wool Wrap Coat in Rust, bring the newest colours and shapes each season.

If you want something outside the group altogether, our list of brands like Max Mara covers labels on Coveti such as Toteme, Lemaire and The Frankie Shop.

Max Mara pieces to buy instead

1. Madame 101801 Icon Coat in Camel

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

2. Tedgirl Teddy Bear Icon Coat in Sand

The Teddy Bear coat, first shown in 2013, in alpaca and wool on silk. From $4,950.

3. ‘S Max Mara Poldo Wool Broadcloth Robe Coat in Camel

A clean robe coat in wool broadcloth. Also in black. From $1,810.

4. Max Mara Studio Quagga Belted Wool Flannel Blazer in Camel

Belted wool flannel tailoring, the Studio line at its best. From $1,400.

5. Weekend Max Mara Tempera Teddy Coat in Camel

A long teddy wrap coat with a tie belt, at a Weekend price. From $1,670.

6. Weekend Max Mara Pasticcino Bag Medium in Brown

The soft pleated Weekend bag in deer print leather. From $1,000.

7. Max Mara The Cube Trefe Hooded Midi Puffer Jacket in Black

A hooded midi puffer from the padded outerwear line. From $1,670.

8. Whitney Bag 3 Micro in Black

The smallest Whitney Bag on Coveti, from MaxMara Accessori. From $2,120.

Browse all women’s coats, jackets and bags on Coveti.

Where can I buy Max Mara in the US?

Coveti stocks the Max Mara lines above 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 Max Mara at Coveti, and see where to buy Max Mara for other countries.

More Max Mara guides

• Weekend Max Mara
• Max Mara The Cube
• Max Mara jackets and blazers
• who is Max Mara
• BCBG vs Max Mara
• where to buy Max Mara
• brands like Max Mara

Frequently asked questions

Is Sportmax part of Max Mara?

Sportmax is part of the Max Mara group. It was launched in 1969 and sells under its own name, separately from the lines that carry the Max Mara name, such as Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara and Max Mara Studio.

When was Sportmax launched?

Sportmax was launched in 1969, 18 years after Achille Maramotti founded Max Mara in Reggio Emilia in 1951. It sits within the Max Mara group as a sister label with its own name, while lines such as Weekend Max Mara and ‘S Max Mara carry the Max Mara name.

Does Coveti sell Sportmax?

No. Coveti does not stock Sportmax. It carries Max Mara, Max Mara Atelier, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Weekend Max Mara, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori, and ships them worldwide by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority.

What is the difference between Max Mara and Weekend Max Mara?

Max Mara is the main line, home of the signature coats such as the 101801 and the Manuela. Weekend Max Mara is the relaxed, more accessible line: on Coveti its coats start from $710, against $1,720 for the main line.

What is ‘S Max Mara?

‘S Max Mara is one of the lines sold under the Max Mara name. On Coveti it is known for double faced wool and broadcloth robe coats from $1,510, and for organza and silk dresses. It uses the same Italian sizing as the main line.

Which Max Mara line is the most expensive?

Max Mara Atelier sits at the top of the range, with coats on Coveti from $5,600 to $15,500. The main line’s cashmere signature coats, such as the Ludmilla, also run above $8,000. Weekend Max Mara is the most accessible line, with coats from $710.

Start with the Max Mara collection, then read our guides to Weekend Max Mara and the Max Mara coats guide.