In 2003, the Max Mara Fashion Group moved into its new headquarters, designed by John McAslan + Partners, the London-based firm behind Qatar’s imposing Park Hyatt Hotel and the transformation of King’s Cross railway station. The architects envisioned a campus-like complex that would promote collaboration between the group’s employees and nine brands, which in addition to Max Mara include Sportmax, Marina Rinaldi and MAX&Co. Brick, steel and concrete buildings are connected by tree-lined pathways; bridges cross square ponds; floor-to-ceiling windows flood offices with daylight and frame sweeping views of the flat farmlands of Emilia-Romagna.
A double-breasted creation in 80% wool and 20% cashmere, the 101801 fuses the tailored, draped lines of a man’s overcoat with inset kimono sleeves. Since its inception, the coat has been a worldwide bestseller; it has also been the subject of various artistic interpretations.
Expert in outerwear, Max Mara has since debuted numerous other bestselling designs, including the slim-fitting, wide-lapelled Manuela. The AW17 collection, shown at Milan Fashion Week, experimented with luxurious hybrid designs, adding caramel-coloured shearling collars to camel-hair greatcoats.
Inherited knowledge armed Maramotti with confidence, but it was his pursuit of modernism that really launched his career. In 1957, he returned from a trip to the US inspired by its innovative factories and determined to improve his firm’s productivity without compromising on quality. In addition to meticulously mapped production, Maramotti added direct retail and successfully turned Max Mara into a fashion group with separate lines.
Set across 10,000 square feet, the Manifattura is designed for end-to-end production, from raw material to finished product. The brand’s craftspeople — a mostly female workforce clad in white lab coats and averaging 35 years in age — produce up to 450 Max Mara coats a day in precisely planned production steps. Currently, there are close to 20 different coat models, each requiring a bespoke process.
While the team is certainly busy, an atmosphere of calm concentration prevails, scored to the rhythmic melody of machines at work and broken only by the sound of an alarm bell signalling espresso breaks. The site’s corridors are adorned with framed Max Mara campaigns shot by Sarah Moon and Richard Avedon, while in the workrooms the art is more convivial: a collage of mementos — personal holiday snaps, postcards, religious iconography — pinned to the walls by the staff. Workers are well looked after at Max Mara: humidity and light levels are controlled, there’s a creche adjacent to the workshops, and an early-start / early-finish rota allows for an even work-life balance.
All material is cut by machine — blades for fabrics, laser for leathers — to precise measurements to minimise fabric waste; the company aims to use 84% of all cloth, and leftover material is collected by a specialist recycling firm. Cutting all the panels for one coat takes around a minute, after which they are measured and placed on trolleys to be transferred to the large sewing room.
Here, tasks are divided into 10 groups and performed by eight to 12 artisans. Each group is overseen by one supervisor controlling quality, production and timing. Extended from the ceiling and moving mechanically between workbenches, a Max Mara coat takes full shape in four to five hours, depending on the model – the 101801 requires 73 stages. Sleeves are inserted and belts added — the team can produce up to 400 belts per day – and numerous quality control and meticulous ironing ‘breaks’ are scheduled between steps. “The ironing is a philosophy,” says Bacci, only half in jest.
At the Manifattura di S. Maurizio, materials of every coat produced are kept in a special fabric storehouse — from autumnal woollens, alpaca, yak and cashmere cloths to lighter fabrics for the spring. It’s a technique inspired by traditional Italian tailors who would keep a cut of shirting fabric for future repairs, and one that guarantees a Max Mara coat really is for life.
