Max Mara Queen of Coats talks to Cosmopoliti!

Laura Lusuardi – Max Mara:

Laura Lusuardi, the Queen of Coats, reigns not from a big, bustling city kingdom, but from a humble slice of Italian countryside with low-key green hills and no fashion avenues.

As Fashion Director of Max Mara, the legendary outerwear company founded in 1951, Lusuardi commands the coat corner of town. She has worked in the company for a record 51 years, starting at age 18 as a small-fry coffee fetcher, fresh out of high school. She gave us an exclusive interview while celebrating the 30 years of Max Mara in Greece, in Thessaloniki.

● How did you decide to get involved in fashion? What connects you with Max Mara?
I come from a family of retail owners from Guastalla, near Reggio Emilia. My father used to sell fabrics: we had a store since 1911. In the ‘50s our store turned into a confectionery boutique and we also bought Max Mara. As I was very young, my father asked their salesmen if they could give me an interview and accompanied me to see to Doc. Achille Maramotti who decided to hire me. I had the luck to learn from the pattern maker who did the prototypes: she has been my greatest teacher. I’ve always liked fashion as I was born in it, it’s part of my DNA.

● Max Mara has a timeless style and this style seems to be the best choice for women. Do you believe that nowadays, real fashion exists or is a continuous repeat after the 80s?

I’ve always been in love with the decade of the eighties, which was undoubtedly the most creative. The designers injected a huge amount of personality and style working in their very own universe.
I think that nowadays fashion surely exists but it’s more related to the styling. Fashion today is a re-interpretation of the past.

● Which are the must-have items of a woman’s wardrobe?

Blazer, white shirt, camel coat, black coat, pencil dress.

● What are the things that you cannot leave behind?
My necklaces, my tortoise shell earrings and of course my coats!

● How a high level brand like Max Mara competes with the cheap imitations that characterize our time?
Max Mara is a brand supported by heritage, tradition, and innovation. In the past 66 years technology, material, and design have been continually progressing. Efforts are being made to maintain timeless elegance with unrivalled quality. From 1951 until today, Max Mara has created different collections, trying to satisfy every age and every target, but has remained coherent with its tradition of quality and style. This is the key keeping the company in a leading role in the market.

● Which are the right credentials for a stylish woman?
I think that the style of a woman consists of being discreet and elegant.

● What inspires you?
Inspiration can be found everywhere: a trip, an exhibition, a novel, a movie…
When starting the new season, I always think about what a contemporary woman is missing in her wardrobe…and there is always an answer in terms of a coat!

● A Greek woman that lives in a country with temperate climate, which coat should she choose?

Greek women should absolutely opt for a Pure camel hair coat with Wraparound closure with matching belt.

● Please share with us some words about the project in Seoul.
After Tokyo, Berlin and Beijing, we’re bringing Coats! to Seoul. The exhibition Coats! is a time journey into the history of Max Mara and therefore of the Italian fashion, seen from the angle of the our iconic garment: the coat. Over ninety coats are on show in the exhibition, starting from the first ones from the 50s to the more recent ones and of course the iconic styles. Compared to previous edition, Coats!Seoul 2017 will be presented in a totally renewed and modern concept. T hrough this retrospective we’d like to show our 66 years history, who we are, our values and what’s behind a coat.