What started as a side project quickly turned into Maison Maxine, a spritz brand with a personality all its own. Founded by Olivia, Maison Maxine takes inspiration from early 2000s nostalgia, coastal living, and all things girlhood. From its playful branding and fruit-forward spritzes to its one-of-a-kind merchandise, the brand brings a sense of fun and personality to the everyday. Below, we caught up with Olivia to hear how it all began, where she finds inspiration, and what she has planned for Maison Maxine.
1. Tell me about yourself and Maison Maxine. How was it created and what inspired the name?
I grew up in Los Angeles and went to college in a really small town in Western Massachusetts called Williamstown.. I definitely had a very creative background growing up (singing, songwriting, painting, dancing, acting). I honestly always wanted to be a singer-songwriter but in college, I took an internship in consumer investment banking. I fell in love with branding and honestly all the granular details of what makes a company work and succeed. My family also runs a winery in Northern California, so the more I got exposed to the wine industry, the more I could see the industry was falling short of reaching younger women. Concurrently, I always struggled to find a drink that I liked from the store. I didn't love wine and I felt like canned cocktails were so unnecessarily sweet and packed with ingredients I didn't like. What I did know was that I loved mimosas and that's basically how I ended up doing this. Technically speaking, Mimosas are a wine spritz: a sparkling wine that is cut with some sort of fruit to be a little lighter and sweeter, that's kind of where I started playing around, and now we're here. It was really a side project on a whim and then all of a sudden the firms I was applying for wouldn’t hire me because I had a "start-up," and I'm honestly so glad they didn't. In terms of the name, I wanted it to be a girl's name because while yes, I hope everyone drinks the spritz, we are toasting to girlhood! It also feels like a very spunky, all- American name to me which I think contrasts the French "Maison," which signifies that this is a lifestyle brand as much as a beverage brand. And then there's the alliteration, so it was the perfect combination of things.
2. What is the LAUNE (mood) of Maison Maxine?
OMG I love this question. Off the top of my head I definitely would say girly, but I think that’s too broad. Cheerful, maximalist, a little cheeky — or maybe that’s just me. I used to model the brand off of myself, and now I think I model myself off of the brand.
3. What inspires the Maison Maxine aesthetic, from the design to the overall lifestyle surrounding the brand?
If I were to get super specific I would say the aesthetic is 2006 coastal. Maison Maxine is inspired by and made for the girls of the early aughts, a time for which we're super nostalgic because we were kids but old enough to remember it. The world was just so different then, I mean I remember my mom having a flip phone. I think that’s why the world of Maison Maxine is an analog one: a world of pink Motorola flip phones, American Girl Magazine, and fresh flowers even though they’d never end up on social media.
4. The brand is deeply tied to giving back and paying it forward. How does Maison Maxine fit into that?
Maison Maxine gives 5% back to animals in need. We don’t really market this anymore just because the brand has so many product-related selling points (clean, local ingredients, sweetened with honey), but I don’t mind because we’re not doing it for the marketing edge. I just love animals so much. I’ve been vegetarian since I was nine and I want there to be meaning behind what I am doing. Also our cans have animals on them so it’s only fair that we honor them in some way. Outside of animals, I think I just am so privileged as a founder to make decisions to lift people up in the way I choose talent or collaborators. It’s so important to me to work with other brands that are also trying to do good things out there, and in terms of who I bring on the team, strong personal values, taste and work ethic matter so much more to me than experience or background.
5. Tell me about your summer merch drop. What was the creative process like?
Ok, so believe it or not our first merch samples came before our first drink drop even, merch was always in the works but to be frank, I’m just not a designer. I can get away with a lot of things but clothing isn't one of them. And I really didn’t want to bulk order what looked like sorority hoodies from China. Nothing felt quite right for a while, so I knew it was time to outsource the project. I found Avery Lasala (Stitched by Avery) on TikTok actually (this is turning into such an underrated hiring and networking platform). She’s the most capable eighteen year old I’ve ever met. She makes patchwork designs from vintage clothing which is infinitely more sustainable and also more one-of-a-kind. So now, she hand makes everything from her home in CT, that is when she’s not volunteering for wildlife rehabilitation or off at school studying to be a world renowned veterinarian. I met her in person when I was back east this summer and gave her a few inspo designs based on her previous work but also a lot of creative freedom.
I’m honestly a pretty type B person and I think I’m learning how to steer the ship in the right direction without having to micro manage anyone onboard. I love meeting people with strong taste and knowing I can trust them to interpret the brand in a way I might not have done but that also feels authentic.
6. How do you want people to feel when they open a can of Maison Maxine?
Grateful, beautiful and nostalgic. Those are the feelings I want the spritz to facilitate. It’s something you drink when you have the chance to slow down and celebrate a little. I see Maison Maxine as an accessory to special moments, so whether that’s a night in with a book and a bath, the ritual of getting ready and beautifying, or an evening offline, reconnecting with your favorite people.
7. What’s next for Maison Maxine?
A new flavor. Something a little fruitier.
Rapid Fire:
1. Describe your style in three words.
Gosh, ok. A little 60s, a little east-coast prep, a little Polly-Pocket
2. Dream collab?
Rachel Bilson in some capacity. If not her, Fara Homidi. I love their products and world and would love to see what we could co-create. I think our brands are pretty different but could converge on the coastal identity
3. What are three staple items that every closet should have?
The black Spanx flare trousers, Maison Maxine jeans, and something with sequins
4. Favorite place?
Williamstown, MA in the fall
5. Favorite restaurant in LA?
Gracias Madre in West Hollywood
6. Favorite drinks spot in LA?
Home, honestly. And not just because I have an unlimited MM supply. I just absolutely love hosting,
7. Favorite style icon?
Brooke Davis, One Tree Hill
8. Favorite movie?
Clueless or Gone Girl
9. What are you loving right now?
Sydney Ross Mitchell, Crush Balls by D.S. and Durga, and the flushed color pink your lips get when you’ve had one too many spritzers.
