Maximilian Davis Wants You to See Yourself in Ferragamo

Ana Colón

24 February 2024 at 10:09 am·5-min read

With so many debuts this season in Milan, many are discussing how long a designer needs to really find their groove at a fashion house. The turnaround (read: contract) timeline is typically three years; it can be less, if the executives that hired them don't see the returns they want. Those first few seasons can be especially rough, as these designers not only begin to learn and express the brand's codes in their own design language, but also propose products they hope will sell — all while having the most attention on them, from both critics and commentators at large.

That's party why Maximilian Davis' Ferragamo feels so remarkable. Since unveiling his first collection for the Italian house in September 2022, for Spring 2023, the British designer has shown a clear, precise interpretation of what Ferragamo is. It's slick and urbane in its look and ethos: The pieces are meant to feel easy and buildable, coming together to make a wardrobe that feels uncomplicated but complete. He's intentional with color, selecting a handful of hues that convey this approach and speak to Ferragamo's history (namely, red). It's hard to believe his vision has only been in stores for a year, because it's so well-articulated and identifiable already.

Over the past year-plus, Davis has set the foundation. Now, he builds: For Fall 2024, the designer expands upon his head-to-toe monochromes, creating more dimension by incorporating different shades of the same color into a single look.

"It comes very naturally," Davis told Fashionista backstage on Saturday of his approach to color. "There's always a reference — either a painting or a sculpture or some sort of imagery. I listen to a lot of music, and I find that sound presents colors in a certain way. This time, I was listening to jazz, so you have a lot olive and dark tones. Then also, I wanted something a bit more playful and sexy, and that's where the bourdeaux comes in."

He also incorporates texture more freely — lacquered satin, feathered shoes, embroidered latex, leather sequins, fringe knits — in an effort to marry Ferragamo's history of craftsmanship with contemporary dressing, specifically as it pertains to freedom by way of dress. (Per the show notes, he was especially interested in the 1920s.) The collection is titled "Spirit," and, in in lieu of a traditional invitation, Davis published a magazine with brand images both new and archival, teasing this meeting-of-the-eras.

Though you can trace every element of his work to a source of inspiration, Davis is able to use it as just that: a spark that leads to innovation. You don't see the cover of whatever album he was listening to on a print, for example — these influences, instead, move something within him that expresses in the form of a specific garment, whether it's a leather blouse tucked into a matching mini skirt with a wide belt styled slightly askew or a gauzy burgundy dress underneath a wool coat with feathered heels. He explained that that's a result of "a slightly commercial mind."

"I don't really want costumes — not just yet," he said. "I want people to look at the show and see themselves in one or two pieces."

See every single look from Ferragamo Fall 2024 below.