Who Is Max Mara? The Italian Coat House, Its Lines and What to Buy

Max Mara is an Italian fashion house founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, where it is still based and still owned by the Maramotti family. It is best known for its coats: the 101801, designed by Anne-Marie Beretta in 1981, the camel hair Manuela wrap and the Teddy Bear coat, first shown in 2013. Coveti stocks about 2,490 Max Mara pieces and ships them to the US.

Key facts

• Founded: 1951 in Reggio Emilia, Italy, by Achille Maramotti (1927 to 2005). The business began as Confezioni Maramotti.
• Ownership: family owned, with Luigi Maramotti as chairman. The headquarters are still in Reggio Emilia.
• Creative director: Ian Griffiths, who joined Max Mara in 1987. Laura Lusuardi is the long-serving fashion director.
• Signature coats: the 101801 (Anne-Marie Beretta, 1981), the Manuela in pure camel hair, and the Teddy Bear coat, first shown on the Autumn/Winter 2013 runway.
• Signature bag: the Whitney Bag, created in 2015 with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
• Lines: Max Mara, Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori. Sportmax is a separate sister label.
• Art: the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, launched in 2005 with the Whitechapel Gallery, and the Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia.
• Where to buy in the US: online at Coveti, shipped by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority.

Who founded Max Mara?

Achille Maramotti founded Max Mara in 1951 in Reggio Emilia, a manufacturing town in northern Italy between Parma and Modena. The company started life as Confezioni Maramotti, a garment maker, and ready-to-wear has been its business ever since. Good cloth and a clean cut still sit under almost everything the house sells.

Maramotti, who lived from 1927 to 2005, built the business into a group with several lines under one name. It never left the family. Luigi Maramotti is chairman today, and the headquarters remain in Reggio Emilia, which is rare among Italian houses of this size. Many of its peers have been sold to the large luxury groups; Max Mara has not.

The family’s interest in contemporary art runs alongside the clothes. The Collezione Maramotti, a private collection of contemporary art, is in Reggio Emilia, and the Max Mara Art Prize for Women was launched in 2005 with the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

Who designs Max Mara today?

Ian Griffiths is the creative director. He joined Max Mara in 1987, so he has worked inside the house for decades, and he designed the Teddy Bear coat. Laura Lusuardi, the long-serving fashion director, is the other name insiders mention when they talk about how the house keeps its coats consistent from season to season.

This continuity matters to buyers. A camel coat bought from Max Mara ten years ago looks like it belongs with one bought this autumn, because the shapes change slowly and the house keeps its classics in production. The runway collections add new proportions and colours each season, but the core pieces return year after year.

What are the signature Max Mara coats?

The coat is the heart of the house. Max Mara groups its permanent styles as Icon coats, and three of them carry most of the brand’s reputation. Here is how they compare, with the fabric taken from the garment label and the price on Coveti.

The 101801. Anne-Marie Beretta designed it in 1981: a double-breasted camel coat in wool and cashmere with kimono sleeves. The sleeve is the detail to understand. Because it is cut in one with the body, the shoulder is soft and roomy, so the coat sits easily over a jacket and a thick knit. On Coveti it comes as the full-length Madame 101801 and as the Rebus Short 101801.

The Manuela. This is the wrap coat: pure camel hair, a notched collar, side pockets and a belt. It has no buttons to fasten, so you tie it, and it reads softer and more relaxed than the 101801. If you want one camel coat that works over tailoring and jeans alike, this is the one most stylists send people to first.

The Teddy Bear coat. Ian Griffiths designed it from an archive piece from the 1980s, and it was first shown on the Autumn/Winter 2013 runway. The pile is set on a silk base, which is why it looks like fur but feels light. It is oversized by design. Our Teddy Bear coat guide covers sizing and the different versions.

For a full comparison, including which coat suits which height and build, read our Max Mara coats guide.

How are the Max Mara lines different?

Max Mara sells several lines under its name, and they are priced and cut differently. The main line, labelled simply Max Mara, holds the Icon coats and the runway collection. Weekend Max Mara is the more casual line, with knitwear, shirts, trousers and the Pasticcino bag, and its prices on Coveti start at $230. ‘S Max Mara focuses on double-faced wool coats, denim and knits. Max Mara Studio is the tailoring line, with flannel trousers and blazers. Max Mara Atelier is the top tier, made up of coats and jackets in cashmere, baby llama and shearling. Max Mara The Cube is the padded and water-repellent outerwear line. MaxMara Accessori covers bags, shoes, belts and small leather goods.

Sportmax is a separate sister label with its own design team, and Coveti does not stock it. For a line-by-line breakdown with picks from each, see our guide to Weekend Max Mara and the other lines.

Is Max Mara a luxury brand?

Yes. Max Mara is an Italian luxury house with more than seventy years of history, a family owner and a design studio that has kept the same core shapes in production for decades. Most main-line coats on Coveti cost between about $3,600 and $8,500, and the Atelier line goes higher. The diffusion lines bring the entry price down, but the materials stay serious: pure camel hair, cashmere, virgin wool and silk appear across the range. We look at value in detail in Is Max Mara worth it?

Max Mara beyond the coat

The house is not only about outerwear. The Whitney Bag was created in 2015 with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and it is now the brand’s signature handbag, sold in sizes from Nano to Extra Large. Weekend Max Mara’s Pasticcino, a soft rounded bag, is the more relaxed alternative.

Max Mara has also built a long link with film. Jennifer Garner became the brand’s first celebrity spokesperson in 2013, and the Women In Film Max Mara Face of the Future Award was introduced in 2006.

Where can I buy Max Mara in the US?

Coveti stocks around 2,490 Max Mara pieces across coats, clothing, bags, shoes and accessories, from the Icon coats to Weekend Max Mara knitwear and The Cube puffers. Orders ship to the US by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority. Duties are usually payable on import, so allow for them when you budget. Browse the full edit on our Max Mara brand page.

The Max Mara pieces to buy first

If you are new to the house, start with a coat, then add one knit and one bag. These are the pieces we would choose.

1. Madame 101801 Icon Coat in Camel

The house coat in its original colour: double-breasted, kimono-sleeved, in virgin wool and cashmere. Buy it once and wear it for years. From $5,170.

2. Manuela Icon Coat in Camel

Pure camel hair, tied with a belt, softer in feel than the 101801. The easiest camel coat to wear with jeans. From $4,290.

3. Teddy Bear Icon Coat in Camel

Ian Griffiths’ oversized coat in camel fabric set on a silk base. It is warm without weight, and it is the most recognisable coat Max Mara makes. From $5,280.

4. Rebus Short 101801 Icon Coat in Camel

The 101801 cut shorter, in the same wool and cashmere. A good choice if you are petite and find long coats overwhelm you. From $3,620.

5. Ludmilla Icon Coat in Tobacco

Hand-stitched double cashmere drap with a wrapping shape. The most luxurious of the Icon coats in our edit. From $8,470.

6. Resina Double-Breasted Wool Coat in Camel

Weekend Max Mara’s long camel coat in pure virgin wool, with kimono sleeves and a matching belt. The house look at a lower price. From $1,580.

7. Whitney Bag 4 Small in Black

The signature handbag in black calfskin, structured and sized for everyday. From $3,050.

8. Elegia Cashmere Roll-Neck Jumper in Dark Grey

Pure cashmere from Weekend Max Mara, the knit to wear under any of the coats above. From $940.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Max Mara?

Max Mara is owned by the Maramotti family. Achille Maramotti founded it in 1951 in Reggio Emilia, and Luigi Maramotti is chairman. Unlike many Italian houses, it has not been sold to a luxury conglomerate, and its headquarters are still in Reggio Emilia.

Who is the creative director of Max Mara?

Ian Griffiths is the creative director of Max Mara. He joined the house in 1987 and designed the Teddy Bear coat, first shown on the Autumn/Winter 2013 runway. Laura Lusuardi is the long-serving fashion director who works alongside him on the collections.

What is Max Mara most famous for?

Max Mara is most famous for its camel coats, above all the 101801, designed by Anne-Marie Beretta in 1981, the Manuela wrap coat in pure camel hair and the Teddy Bear coat. It is also known for the Whitney Bag, created in 2015 with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Is Max Mara Italian?

Yes. Max Mara is an Italian house, founded in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy in 1951 and still headquartered there. It uses Italian sizing, where an IT 40 is a UK 8 and a US 4, and an IT 42 is a UK 10 and a US 6.

Is Max Mara the same as Sportmax?

No. Sportmax is a separate sister label within the same family group, with its own collections. The lines sold under the Max Mara name are Max Mara, Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori.

Does Coveti ship Max Mara to the US?

Yes. Coveti ships Max Mara to the US by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority. Import duties are usually payable on delivery, so check them before you order. The full range of coats, clothing, bags and accessories is on the Max Mara brand page.

Shop every coat, knit and bag on our Max Mara brand page, then read our Max Mara size guide and our guide to the best camel coats for women.