Maria McManus's fall collection was created in the style of Irish architect Eileen Gray. The designer said Gray, one of the founders of modern minimalism, had an “incredible vision for considered design,” a similarity the duo certainly share.
“I'm not sure people consider design that much nowadays. “I think they're selling us this idea of luxury, but I'm not sure luxury is the goal as opposed to creating a billion-dollar company or a 10-billion-dollar company,” she said backstage, and then to the crowd at the end of her runway presentation. McManus has also been thinking about how the fashion industry is romanticized, but perhaps not viewed the way products were viewed in the 1920s.
“It just convinces me more that we have to do better. “I think our job as a sustainable small business is to shine a light on the issues in our industry and try to inspire people to make better decisions,” she added.
Season after season, she does so with sustained, elevated fashion, this time in the neutral, muted tones of Gray. Although finding sustainable materials within the luxury sphere is not a bit limiting, he presented novelties in the manner of the Naia Renew circular leather-look capes; washed Naya Sateen coats; a knitted balaclava with a sheer skirt and a large silver bubble skirt in recycled polyester that continued the golden story of pre-fall.
Most of the fall looked like new versions of brands, namely suits, coats and knitwear. Even if those styles were too understated to warrant a runway presentation this season, they are timeless, sophisticated styles that customers will certainly live with and that convey an important overall message to the industry.
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