With the rise of mindful consumption being at the forefront of Millennial and Gen Z consumerism, many individuals in this age group are finding themselves gravitating towards “invisible luxury.” Garments allow for the cut and fabric to make a personal statement as opposed to the brand name being the topic of discussion. 

Quiet luxury is on the move due to the incline of overly branded items becoming more of a fad than a statement. Max Mara is a prime example of “subtle luxury”. With their quintessential earth-tone monochromatic aesthetic, the Italian Fashion House continues to practice craftsmanship over excessive branding.Projects like the Max Mara Tailleur Sartoriale demonstrate the sheer dedication that the Italian Luxury House has in terms of their artisanship.

Comparable to Max Mara, Brunello Cucinelli is another Luxury fashion company hailing from Italy that also keeps their focus on the quality of their textiles, a modern relaxed elegant aesthetic as well as ensuring that their pieces become long-term staples in your wardrobe. With over 95% of Brunello Cucinelli’s garments being handcrafted locally in Italy, they take their artisan-craftsmanship methodology seriously. Both of these brands emphasize quality over quantity. Max Mara prides themselves on their Double Face fabric, in which they weave premium fabrics (typically camel hair or cashmere) together on a single loom, followed by their artisans hand-separating the fused edges of the material, and ultimately hand-stitching the seams, eliminating the need for bulky linings overall creating a garment that is cleanly finished and precise. The Italian fashion house also exhibits their craftsmanship in their Putino detailing. In their coats they use a technique called a putino or pick stitch which trims the lapels and seams. Created using a slow-running machine that runs on a single long thread and a needle with an open eye that mimics an artisan's hand, this technique was borrowed from traditional men’s tailoring, but Max Mara was the first fashion house to bring this technique to fruition in their heavier winter clothing. Its small details like these that are driving consumers of luxury fashion to resort to purchasing quality over quantity. The use of classic techniques that are often completed by hand, are some of the many ways in which a brand ensures that their craftsmanship is up to par, and it truly demonstrates which companies are creating luxury items for the love of the process and which ones are trying to push out as many overly branded products as they can. 

As we enter a society with minimalism holding the reins, luxury fashion brands are returning to artisanal craftsmanship as opposed to overly branding their products. Consumers are slowly letting go of the idea that luxury goods need to be plastered with a logo on every square inch of the design, and are now shifting to the more quiet timeless pieces that are still recognizable but more discreet in terms of luxury branding. 

Max Mara via Instagram