Max Mara relaunches into fragrance with Shiseido

Italian luxury label Max Mara will licence the development of its new fragrance line to Japanese cosmetics group Shiseido. In a joint press release, the two groups have stated they are drawing up an exclusive, long-term worldwide licensing agreement for the development, production, marketing and distribution of Max Mara’s perfumes.

“The main terms of the agreement will be incorporated into an official license contract,” they indicated in the press release. The Max Mara license will be managed by Shiseido EMEA, a subsidiary of Shiseido led since March by new CEO Alberto Noé. The fragrance category has become one of Shiseido EMEA’s growth drivers, thanks to deals with labels such as Issey Miyake and Narciso Rodriguez.

“I am very excited at the idea of collaborating with Max Mara, renowned worldwide for the quality of its products (…) Talking with Luigi Maramotti, president and owner of Max Mara, I have realised that both groups share a number of corporate, managerial and organisational values,” said Masahiko Uotani, CEO of Shiseido.

Max Mara was founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti and is present in nearly 2,500 stores in over 100 countries. This isn’t the label’s first foray into fragrance. To enter the perfume market, Max Mara set up a joint venture with Procter & Gamble, before signing a global license deal with French group Selective Beauty in 2006. The ensuing Max Mara perfume line was later discontinued.