Maria McManus Spring 2022 Ready-to-Wear

When a blouse or sweater has shell buttons, have you ever wondered what kind of shells they are? Or where the shells were sourced? What about the impact of removing the shells from their natural habitat, then carving them into little spheres? It’s safe to say the average shopper hasn’t, nor has the thought occurred to most designers. Maria McManus dug deep into shell button research and discovered that not only is the process environmentally detrimental, it’s actually turned the marine nautilus into an endangered species. McManus’s findings reinforced just how far the fashion industry has to go to reduce its impact. We need to get into the nitty gritty—the buttons and labels and stitching. It also reminded her of a favorite photograph, Edward Weston’s gleaming