Maria McManus named two very different muses for pre-fall: 18-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg and mid-century furniture designer Charlotte Perriand. The former for her dauntless activism, the latter for her stripped-back and functional style. In her collection notes, McManus noted Perriand’s philosophy that better design equates to a better society, then channeled Thunberg’s boldness with a pressing question: “Do the fashion industry’s behemoths ever consider the betterment of society?”
Perriand’s influence came through in the collection’s newly modular spirit, with simple, no-fuss garments made to be worn and styled myriad ways. A surprisingly sexy wool miniskirt was shown over tights as well as trousers, bringing a welcome sense of play to the collection (ditto the cashmere hot pants and shrunken cardigans). Also new: a recycled cashmere bodysuit and cupro camisole, fresh options to layer under her signature suits and plush sweaters.
Thunberg’s unshakable resolve inspires McManus to continue drilling into the minutiae of sourcing and energy use: She was excited to report that her button-downs now come in super 120s organic cotton, a quality she couldn’t find in the past, and that the cupro was recycled from cotton waste. A few years ago, those details might have gone unmentioned, but the women gathered in McManus’s Tribeca home were as into the backstory as they were that sexy little mini.
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