Irish designer Maria McManus on Trump, sustainability, and her AW25 salon presentation
From the difficulties of separating fashion from politics to new environmental laws and our collective need for comfort right now, Paul McLauchlan sits down with Irish designer Maria McManus to discuss the intricacies of her most recent collection – which debuted to much acclaim at New York Fashion Week.
For her autumn/winter 2025, Maria McManus staged her New York Fashion Week presentation in the cosy enclaves of her Tribeca apartment. The Irish designer welcomed a small group of press, buyers, and clients, into her space to create a sense of warmth and cosiness amidst political and social upheaval. When she started designing the collection back in November, President Donald Trump had been re-elected for a second term, putting social and environmental laws under fire. It was impossible to ignore.
As a response, she provided a balm to omnipotent political anxiety in her circles through a collection that spanned cocooning silhouettes, layered and draped styling, and comforting textures like responsible mohair and wool blend sweaters and scarf coats. It produced elegant results like an ivory cape sweater in responsible alpaca layered with an oversized alpaca scarf, accompanied by wide-leg trousers and glass prayer beads. Simply does it with organic cotton tees styled with the brand’s newly introduced organic cotton denim with recycled metal trims and deadstock pockets. A collaboration with a 200-year-old lace mill imparts sensuality in a t-shirt dress and a Naia Renew (McManus’ go-to fabric made partly from wood pulp and waste materials) sateen slip skirt and trousers. For jewellery, she worked with designer Ashley Moubayed on natural stone totems like prehnite, phantom quartz, tiger’s eye, hematite and natural beach stones.
“This was a difficult [collection to make] in many ways because the backdrop to life right now is so traumatising. It’s hard to separate fashion from what’s happening on a macro, political, social, and environmental level,” said McManus on a Zoom call, ahead of her AW25 salon presentation on Friday morning.
With everything happening in America and your penchant for conscious fashion, how did the political landscape influence your collection?
It’s intrinsic to the collection and what we’re about. We’re being assaulted on so many levels by the new administration from diversity with DEI funding being obliterated to environmental laws that could be completely changed. Everything that we hold dear is being eradicated, which we knew would be the case but it’s still shocking when it happens.
With this collection, there were many moments where I asked myself why we were doing this. What do sustainability and fashion mean [right now]? It’s important that everybody stays true to their moral compass and value system. I want to stand up for what’s right and emphasise those points [about our brand].
How did you telegraph this through the clothing?
There is a very strong element of cocooning, layering, and wrapping. People need a sense of comfort right now. Amongst my peers and friends, we’ve been talking about resting and taking it all in for the fifth ahead. With texture, there are responsible cashmere mixed with responsible mohairs.
For accessories, I worked with the jewellery designer Ashley Moubayed on natural stones that can bring clarity, protection, and courage, like tiger’s eye and hematite. These stones aren’t just about beauty, they’re to help us get ready for what’s coming.
How do you hope this collection fits into people’s lives?
It’s always quite autobiographical when we’re designing the collection. What do I want to wear daily? What do I need for life? We’ve created foundational pieces from the beginning and each collection evolves them. We’ve done cape sweaters for a long time but, each season, it has more extremes in terms of fabrication or volume, or maybe it’s more shrunken. It’s the same with blazers – we like to play with the proportion of them and the materials.
You decided to host the presentation in your home this season. What was the thinking behind that?
I think we all need to embrace our communities and support each other right now so we’ve done a very intimate salon presentation with close friends of the brands—some press, some customers—at my apartment. It’s very low-key. Last year, we did two shows, and for a small brand, it was one show too many. We’re going to revert to doing one show a year and more intimate salon-type events.
I’ve always been a host, it probably comes from my mom. We always hosted big dinners, parties, and fancy-dress parties. My husband and I have carried on this tradition so if we have any less than 10 people at a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, my children are wondering why there are so few people in the house.
What are the words you’re living by in 2025?
‘Less is more.’
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