Marina Rinaldi
The Lifestyle Behind the Look
Marina Rinaldi, part of the Max Mara Fashion Group, is a luxury label with an impressive portfolio of contemporary collections and designer collaborations that spearhead size-inclusivity. When the Italian fashion house decided it was time for an inaugural website, they were deliberate about who to call. They put together a panel of experts and researched agencies delivering the most forward-thinking digital experiences — and they called us. Literally. On a landline.
The brief was to build more than a fashion website. It was to build a digital home for a woman whose life extended well beyond what she wore.
Strategy
Understanding the Marina Rinaldi Woman
Before a single design decision was made, the work started with qualitative research into who this woman actually was. That meant going directly to the source — interviewing customers at trunk shows in New York City, sitting down with the Marketing Director, talking to stylists during shoots, as well as employees who knew the brand from the inside out. Understanding the brand multiple lines, each with its own identity, was essential before any creative direction could be set. This wasn't a brief that could be answered from a desk.
A Website Built Around a Woman's Full Life
The insight that came out of the research was clear: the Marina Rinaldi woman's sense of style was an expression of how she lived, not just what she bought. The inaugural website was built around that idea — a destination that went beyond product to capture the full lifestyle.
A blog offered a window into company culture and leading fashion trends, giving the brand a voice and a point of view that extended the conversation well past the latest collection. Fashion as one part of a fuller, richer life.
MR Denim — "Don't Just Wear It; Own It"
Following the site's success, the work expanded into a global campaign for the MR Denim line launch. The campaign was rooted in something true: the relationship between women and jeans is unlike any other garment — personal, expressive, and deeply tied to identity. "Don't Just Wear It; Own It" became the campaign's mantra and the Marina Rinaldi woman's declaration.
The campaign microsite drew its energy directly from the photoshoot — the interview with model Crystal Renn, her unique perspective around body image — bringing her confidence to the signature Denim line that made the whole thing feel alive rather than posed.
Impact
The inaugural Marina Rinaldi website earned recognition across four industry awards — the W3 Awards, The Communicator Awards, Web Awards, and Communication Arts Webpick — validation that a luxury fashion site built around a woman's full lifestyle, not just her wardrobe, was something the industry hadn't seen done quite this way before. The MR Denim campaign that followed carried that same energy into a global stage, with a mantra that said everything about how Marina Rinaldi saw its customer: not as a size, but as
“a woman who owns every room she walks into.”
