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Shiseido Wins Max Mara Fragrance License

The Japanese beauty conglomerate will develop, produce and manufacture fragrances for Max Mara, which has not sold perfume since it discontinued a line of scents launched in the mid 2000s.
Max Mara Autumn/Winter 2024.
Max Mara Autumn/Winter 2024. (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

Shiseido is adding to its fragrance portfolio.

On Thursday, the Tokyo-based company announced it had entered into a “long term” agreement with the Italian fashion house Max Mara to develop, produce, market, and distribute its branded fragrances.

Max Mara previously offered fragrance in the mid 2000s, but the scents were later discontinued. Shiseido has a number of fragrance licensing deals inked with fashion houses, including Narciso Rodriguez, Issey Miyake and Tory Burch.

2024 has seen a flurry of licensing agreements, with Coty signing Marni and renewing its agreement with Jil Sander in February, while L’Oréal added a Miu Miu licence to its portfolio in the same month.

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In a statement, Luigi Maramotti, chairman of Max Mara Fashion Group, described the partnership as a “great opportunity” for the brand, and said the two companies had common ground with both their corporate culture and core values. Masahiko Uotani, chairman and chief executive of Shiseido added that he was attracted by Max Mara’s rich history, luxury credentials and global appeal. “I firmly believe that our partnership will contribute to our fragrance business, not only through further growth, but by also creating synergies.”

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