Maria McManus Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear

“How can you live a more sustainable life without getting stressed about it?” is the question at the heart of Maria McManus’s design philosophy. It’s also what drives her to experiment and search for innovative materials. “This is the first shirt we ever did, and it’s a basic cotton—it’s 50 singles,” she says showing me the shirt she’s currently wearing. (In ring-spun cotton, the higher the single, the finer the yarn, and the softer the garment.) “But now we can get 120 singles, which is like a cotton poplin sateen. We’re just able to get much finer staples, so that’s been very exciting.” There’s also an organic cotton mixed with 30% nylon (“not the most sustainable, it takes about 50 years to biodegrade, but it’s better than polyester, that can take 500 to 1,000 years”), a new organic cotton high-twist Japanese twill for suits (“it’s so hard to find suiting material that isn’t wool”), and buttons made from a material called urea—a by-product of potato (yes, potato) starch. Of course none of this would matter if the clothes she made weren’t so desirable. There is a tulip skirt with a wide elastic waistband and a little kick pleat on the side, made of organic cotton velour, in black or cream with contrasting seam details at the side (McManus was already wearing the black version at our appointment). There are also knit dresses and tanks made from a recycled cashmere cotton blend that feels as soft as air—one came in lemon yellow with teardrop-shaped cutouts at the shoulder and back (“I definitely shed a few tears this year,” McManus said, referencing US politics), and another one in cream with navy stripes at the bust and lemon yellow color-blocked sleeves. They’re exactly the kind of cool thing women of all ages will want to wear. Same goes for an organic cotton black crochet tank dress that was dripping with an earthy sort of sex appeal (a good thing!), worn with pleated black trousers. “We do do a great pant,” McManus said, before adding that she works with Katayone Adeli’s old pattern-maker (if you know, you know).