"For us to be considered fashionable would be very dangerous. It is not chic for a woman to move violently from one way of dressing to another." Luigi Maramotti
Achille Maramotti was born in Italy in 1927. He founded his design business there in 1951, naming it Max Mara. At the time, he made only men's dresswear, but he soon expanded into women's wear, which became the dominant business of the design house.
His business model was to provide high-quality high-fashion clothing at lower prices than competing design houses.
Achille Maramotti passed away in 2005, and the business was turned over to his sons. He was named to the Forbes Rich List that year, with an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion dollars U.S.
Max Mara clothes have been designed by some of the most famous names in fashion, including Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Karl Lagerfeld, Guy Paulin, and Narciso Rodriguez, but Max Mara has promoted the clothes and been quiet about its designers.