Max Mara names Florence Pugh face of its first fragrance
Florence Pugh is fronting Max Mara’s first fragrance, a debut scent launching August 24 as the house turns its fashion identity into a giftable entry point.
Max Mara named Florence Pugh the face of its first fragrance campaign, a debut scent set to launch August 24 and the first product to come from the brand’s fragrance deal with Shiseido. For a house known for coats and clean-lined tailoring, that makes the launch feel less like a side project and more like a new luxury gift lane with broad appeal at the prestige end.
Shiseido and Max Mara announced their long-term partnership in July 2024, giving Shiseido the exclusive worldwide license to develop, produce, market and distribute fragrances under the Max Mara name. Shiseido has said fragrance is already a growth driver for its Europe business, which helps explain why this rollout is being handled like a major category entry rather than a one-off celebrity fling. In gifting terms, that matters: a first fragrance from a fashion house can become the easiest way to give the brand without buying a coat, a dress or a handbag.
Pugh is not decorative casting here. Max Mara has already built a relationship with the British actress through its Women In Film Max Mara Face of the Future Award, and the brand also worked with her on fashion imagery, including a Rome shoot. Max Mara said Pugh reflects a “modern vision of femininity” and pointed to her natural confidence and distinctive presence, which is exactly the mood a fragrance campaign needs if it wants to feel aspirational but not precious.
That positioning suggests Max Mara is aiming for a signature fragrance franchise, not just a single seasonal bottle. The campaign will unfold through summer ahead of the August 24 launch, and the brand has not yet revealed the fragrance name or notes. That secrecy keeps the story focused on image for now, but the formula is familiar: a recognizable fashion house, a well-liked actress with real brand history, and a first scent introduced as an accessible entry into the label’s world. If Max Mara gets the scent right, it could become the kind of gift people buy when they want something polished, feminine and unmistakably Italian without going all the way to outerwear.
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