Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti represents the third generation of Maramottis to work for the company.
Born in Parma to Maria Ludovica Maramotti (daughter of founder Achille), Maria Giulia, 27, graduated from Milan’s prestigious Bocconi University with a degree in business administration in 2005, and earned a master’s degree in the science of management of financial markets and institutions in 2008.
That’s when she began working for the family company, learning about the retail business.
She lived and worked in Paris, where she was Max Mara’s retail manager for the French market, for a year until in August, when she moved to New York. She is now northeast regional retail manager for Max Mara in North America.
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WWD caught up with the young executive, who, in her spare time, is an avid sportswoman and said she has a “wild passion” for sailing.
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WWD: Please talk about your professional experience and your goals for the company.
Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti: Retail has been my focus since my first steps in the company in 2008. I currently manage our network of stores in North America. I deal with service in stores, product communication and conveying our company message, and managing our teams. The latter is surely the most challenging part of my job, and my objective is to develop the retail sector, in different ways. Our mission is to talk to the Max Mara customer, to tell her about our projects and about the strength of the Max Mara product, to make her feel well and to provide the best possible service.
Consistency between product, creativity, image and service at our points of sale must increasingly be coordinated and constant. This is surely my strongest goal, as well as obtaining results — which has obviously always been at the basis of our group.
WWD: Why is retail such a relevant part of the company’s strategy?
M.G.P.M.: To me, retail doesn’t mean stores, per se, but the service concept we offer our customers that stands behind all we do, the interaction with the Max Mara woman. I always tell my collaborators that a woman who enters one of our boutiques and tries on a coat, a total look or a bag and buys it is our spokeswoman, our ambassador. Because she is real, she walks on the streets and works. And she does it wearing one of our outfits and the whole world can see her.
WWD: You’ve spent parts of your life in Sydney, in London and in Paris. What does traveling mean to you?
M.G.P.M.: I travel a lot, both for work and pleasure. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve always been a bit of a gypsy — although I am very tied to my roots — or simply because I am curious. I believe I’ve been on a plane at least once a week for the past three years. I like to travel for work, and I love seeing different places. I love Paris, which has been my city for two years. I like London, with its controlled energy and I love New York, with its frenetic pace, where everything seems possible.
I am very attracted to the Chinese market. I like Hong Kong very much and all of China in general. To unwind, I travel to far-away countries and diverse cultures, such as Guatemala, India, Mexico and Australia.
WWD: What does it mean for you to be part of your family’s group?
M.G.P.M.: I’ve always wished to be part of the group, but certainly my approach, while one of the biggest fans of Max Mara, is more managerial than creative. I’ve grown up listening to talks about work, so the chance to enter the company was a success for me, and I’ve been allowed to start from zero.
I started as a sales assistant in one of our stores in Verona. I believe that one of my main qualities is my energy and the fact that I know how to approach so many different cultures. Our common language is the Max Mara product and perhaps, because of this, I always feel at home.