Reggio Empire

An Italian dynasty built a giant of quiet luxury. Its third generation intends to keep things strictly in la famiglia.

- ERIK MAZA

In some corners of the fashion industry, reporters speculate about the future of Italian luxury as it faces competition from French conglomerates. The conventional wisdom has it that investors who value the French model of quick-change creative directors worry that Milan’s monarchs are flagging because they refuse to plan for succession. Never mind the flawed premise of that argument—during September’s Milan Fashion Week, some retailers reported that their Italian business was actually stronger than their French—one dynasty actively preparing for a continuation of power is the Maramottis, the family behind the Max Mara Fashion Group, named for its flagship label. If the family name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because it’s how they prefer it. The Medicis of Reggio Emilia run, sotto voce, a mighty empire of brands, nine in all, with some 2,500 stores in more than 100 countries, that defined quiet luxury before the phrase existed. And they’ve done so for seven decades without expanding into diffusion lines—no homewares extension here, not even menswear—or leaning too heavily on influencer culture. More importantly to the heirs of the founder, Achille Maramotti, the company has remained independent, and their children, who are now rising through the ranks, intend to keep things that way for posterity.