The 25-year-old is described as a “rising British design star.”
Last week, Salvatore Ferragamo introduced Maximilian Davis as its new creative director by way of the house’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection.
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Davis, who Vogue describes as a “rising British design star,” was born in Manchester and graduated from London College of Fashion. Just a couple of weeks before this announcement, the 25-year-old of Trinidadian-Jamaican design made the news when he pulled out of the LVMH Prize after being short-listed.
“I am delighted to welcome Maximilian at the House of Ferragamo,” says Marco Gobbetti, chief executive officer. “The clarity of his vision together with the level of execution and his powerful aesthetic make him one of the most brilliant talents of his generation.”
Davis founded his eponymous brand in 2020 and has attracted immediate international recognition. Last fall, he debuted his line at the London-based talent incubator Fashion East, which has also nurtured brands like Craig Green and JW Anderson.
The young designer says that he is deeply honored to be joining the House, and expressed his gratefulness for the opportunity to build on its rich and profound heritage.
“Ferragamo represents a dedication to timeless elegance and sophistication that I find incredibly inspiring,” he says. “I’m looking forward to articulating my vision, elevated by the codes of Italian craftsmanship, quality and innovation.”
The fashion world got it a taste of that vision during London week when Ferragamo presented their Fall line, which is inspired by the global shift to the “informal.”
This is a collection built to demonstrate that clothes that are categorically “casual” can be made, chosen and worn with as much care, discernment, craft and irony as any evening gown or tuxedo. Ferragamo by way of Davis deconstructs these codes then rebuilds them in a spirit of liberated precision and fluid expression.
Womenswear pieces feature dramatic ruffles, an evening wear staple, but expressed in versatile knit. Meanwhile, the formal male silhouette is retained, but pared back in softly constructed jackets with inserted gilets.
When it comes to bags, Ferragamo refashions them to amplify a casual classicism. The Ferragamo Studio bag, for example, is presented in new sizes and materials including blown-up crocodile effect pressed relief, warping the onlooker’s sense of scale.
Gobbetti says that Davis’ work is defined by elegance, refined sensuality, and constant commitment to quality. “Through his lens of contemporary sensibility, he will write a new, exciting chapter for this house built on a heritage of creativity, craftsmanship, sophistication, and outstanding human values,” he says.
