Max Mara has launched its first fragrance in partnership with Shiseido, marking the Italian house’s entry into a category it has conspicuously left untouched until now.
The launch leans on the house’s tailoring heritage, with Florence named as the creative reference point and British actress Florence Pugh lending the campaign a contemporary face.
Whether the fragrance captures the quiet authority of a Max Mara coat remains to be tested, but the ambition is unmistakable.
Developed with the group behind several luxury beauty portfolios, the scent is presented as an extension of Max Mara’s design language rather than a marketing add-on.
For Max Mara, beauty represents a new revenue stream and a way to translate its aesthetic into a product with far lower entry barriers than its coats.
The move mirrors a wider wave of fashion houses building fragrance arms, where a single scent can familiarise a broader audience with a brand’s origins.
