Behind Maje

Parisian chic; while those who have 'got' it might attribute it to je ne sais quoi, Maje Founder and Artistic Director Judith Milgrom manages to translate it into each and every collection – much to the delight of the brand’s scores of devotees.

-          What was the first thing you ever made?

The first piece I remember having made was a print waisted cocktail dress when other brands were doing only black, white minimalist clothes.

-          What does "Maje" stand for?

Maje stands for M for Moyal (my maiden name), A for Alain my brother who I worked with while founding the brand, J for Judith (my first name) and E for Evelyne, my sister.

-          To people who are unfamiliar with Maje, can you sum it up in one sentence? Maje is a contemporary Parisian womens brand founded in 1998 that offers trendy yet affordable ready-to-wear and accessories.

-          Maje name taking after the initials of your family members. Do your collections draw inspiration from the way they dress as well?

I’m inspired by women, the way they dress, the way they walk, the way they move, no matter where they come from. I love sitting at a terrasse café and watching women.

-          Where do you look for ideas?

I’m also very much inspired when I travel abroad, my eyes and my spirit are wide open. A landscape, an exhibition, a movie can also provide many ideas when I’m looking for inspiration.

-          What was your inspiration for SS 2017

The main inspiration comes from the African continent; the SS17 Maje woman undertakes a solitary journey that takes her from Maghreb to the Sahara and Tanzania while developing a new link to her body and to her clothes that is intensely carnal and instinctive.

I wanted her wardrobe to be both feminine and adventurous, to appeal to a nomadic imagination, bohemian yet clearly urban.

-          What’s the male trend for FW 17-18?

I was inspired for daywear by England, from the swinging London era to the punk years that I re-visited in the Maje way and by the 80’s for evening wear resulting in short glamouros dresses.

-          How has your vision of Maje Brand changed since it was first established and how can we expect it to change in the coming years?

I always try to keep in mind women’s needs and how to make them feel beautiful when they wear Maje. Therefore, the vision of the brand is still the one I had when I founded the brand. It’s feminine, modern, glamourous yet bohemian, our collections are creative, they have strong details and prints and allow women to easily mix and match.

-          What should every woman have in her closet? Only three pieces, which would you pick? I’m so passionate about fashion, that it’s difficult to choose only 3 pieces. I would probably say, a white shirt, a mens fitted blazer and a pair of jeans. Depending on your accessories, you can wear these pieces at work with a flat shoes and go to party with high heels sandals and a clutch.

-          You travel a lot. How do you find Dubai? Russia? China?

 I’ve never been to Dubaï unfortunately, but it’s definitely a city that I’d like to visit, its diversity, its architecture, it’s multicultural and women have a very accurate sense of style that speaks to me. Then I’ve been to Hong Kong which is different than mailand China, as it’s considered as the Asian New-York. I love the energy of the city that reminds a bit of Dubaï.

-          Now that you are expanding to Asia, with stores in Hong Kong and now, Singapore, how do you think the Asian market is different from the European market? All markets have their own specificities and Asia is the biggest market in the world. Therefore, tastes are different among countries and even among cities belonging to the same country. Chinese women like to experiment with fashion, they are audacious and they mix and match a lot.

-          Is there anything that you are doing differently in Asia to cater to the needs of the people here?

 We design one collection that is the same everywhere but we design exclusive products that are inspired by the main collection but played sometimes in a specific color, print, embellishment or fabric for a specific market.

-          Any comments about Russian market and Russian customers’ needs?

Russian women can be very glamourous, they are very feminine and feel connected to the brand and its values, its codes, feminity, freedom, boldness.