iBlues Široká, 10 Prague 1–Old Town |
MaxPraga, the exclusive representative of Italy’s Max Mara Fashion Group (MMFG) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, opened its latest store in the Prague’s Josefov fashion district to carry the iBlues clothing brand.
“We decided to open the iBlues store due to the increased interest of the clients who want to wear Italian fashion designed for a client who likes to combine and play at affordable prices,” said Renata Smolíková, deputy managing director of MaxPraga.
The iBlues brand is aimed at “curious and daring” younger women who follow trends, according to the fashion group’s promotional campaign. This may seem contradictory to a conservative fashion market, but Smolíková said she believes that this tendency will not impact the success of the collection. “Czech women dress more conservatively, but that does not mean that they would not want to dress well,” she said.
The iBlues brand has been on the international market since 1975 and is manufactured and distributed by Marella, a brand that began in 1976 and that was turned into a subsidiary company within the Max Mara Fashion Group in 1988.
More brands to come
This is the fifth brand for the group to open a store since MaxPraga was established in 1997. The first MaxMara store, which carries the brand’s main line of French-inspired Italian fashion for professional women, was followed in 1999 by the Marina Rinaldi label, aimed at emphasizing the beauty of larger size women.
“Each brand belonging to the MMFG plays its own game and act autonomously in the market,” said Smolíková. “Each brand has its own image and philosophy and the monobrand store must consistently communicate them. It is the place where the consumer can enjoy and live the brand experience.”
In 2004 the Marella line was launched at Nový Smichov shopping center. That brand focuses on trendy fashion, while the Weekend line, which hit Prague in 2008, is geared toward casual wear. There are still four Max Mara brands, such as Persona and Pennyblack, that have yet to become available in the Czech Republic though Smolíková indicated that the arrival of more brands in the works.
“Regarding the brand Persona we are currently looking for a suitable location in Prague and for new partners for further development in the Czech Republic,” she said, noting that there is still an insufficient offer of quality and fashionable plus-sized clothing in the Czech Republic, which the Persona brand provides.
“However, MaxPraga is now focused more in the development of recently introduced projects—like Weekend by Max Mara and iBlues—to make them as successful as the franchising stores already opened.”
