In Tandem With

Born of Global Cultural Movements and a seismic shift in what women wanted to wear in the ’60s, what is sportmax if not a sign of the times? Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti — granddaughter of its founder — on the world, fashion and its consumers, then and now

- Andrea Sim

“Women want substance from fashion today,” Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti tells me over the phone, dialling in from Milan where she’s recently relocated to after spending eight years living in New York. It’s a conversation with a tall order; to zip through five decades of SportMax as the brand — founded by her grandfather Achille Maramotti nearly 20 years after his first endeavour, Max Mara — celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The latter is perhaps imprinted more vividly in the consciousness of young consumers at the moment, despite Max Mara’s impeccably tailored classics — think ageless coats and a lush neutral-toned palette — that on principle and price point, should beckon late 30-to-50-somethings. It’s a lot to do with style personalities the likes of Caroline Daur and Yoyo Cao who, on the street style and Instagram fronts, have elevated brand staples such as the Teddy Bear coat from wise investments into sought-after grails.

The decision to engage key opinion leaders for Max Mara is a prime example of what Maramotti does as Max Mara vice president of US retail. That is, to strategise how their brands, SportMax included, should converse with its consumers. “For me, the concept of retail has always been something that I wanted to be in touch with. If you are in touch with your consumer directly without filters, then you have a perfect understanding what they think about you as a brand,” she says. “To me, that is the key to the success of the brand today,” Maramotti continues, in part explaining why she’s taken up a role that’s not design related, despite her early exposure to the company’s creative inner-workings from spending time around its designers at their factory in Reggio Emilia, while growing up.