Movement has been a central theme for designer Maximilian Davis since his entry into Ferragamo in March 2022. Last season, the 30 year-old London native looked to American dancer, choreographer, and civil rights activist Katherine Dunham; on March 1, he turned to German Tanztheater (“dance theater”), taking inspiration from the 1920s Expressionist style and its 1980s revival with an ode to liberation through garments meant to bend with the body and a sense of romance brought to life with all the elegance we’ve come to expect from the red carpet wunderkind.
First came a bed of red rose petals as a weaving runway. Then a collection filled with pinstriped takes on ’80s power suiting, ultra-oversize and fluid; sensuous silk slip dresses; and big drama in its coating, complete with exaggerated tailored options and full-glam fur moments. A lushly sophisticated palette of camel, gray, cream, black, and crimson set a cinematic tone.
Davis tailored his first suit at the tender age of 14, after learning to sew with his grandmother at just seven. For fall 2025, his early honed expertise took center stage. Dancers’ leggings were paired with knitwear and exquisitely fit wide-cut blazers. Double-breasted jackets worn with nothing underneath added a subtly sexy energy to a design language that both referenced the house’s own ’80s heritage and the languid, expressive fit of the 1920s experimental movement. The designer is perhaps best known for his singular eveningwear, but his tailoring is also superb. I for one will look forward to seeing his vision and talent take shape at this May’s Met Gala.
Some other highlights: sheer fine knit dresses, walking the perfect line between showing the body and quiet grace; and a surrealistic red feather dress, bold and surprising. Double-belt bags, blown up to outsize proportions, were strong in both styling and trend. In an industry moving at breakneck pace, we hope Davis is at the house to stay; his brand of poetry and coded rebellion is very much needed.
