Irish designer Maria McManus talks modern wardrobes, memories and SS26
Irish designer Maria McManus finds equilibrium on the axis of effortless and purposeful with her spring/summer 2026 collection shown during New York Fashion Week, writes Paul McLauchlan.
“Real, relatable looks for women with complicated, demanding lives,” Maria McManus said at her spring/summer 2026 show during New York Fashion Week on Friday morning. She presented the latest in a string of autobiographical and self-reflective collections. The New York-based Irish designer’s thesis on wardrobe studies continues to produce new hypotheses on taste as she deepens her understanding of how fashion and sustainability are inextricably linked. For the season ahead, she finds equilibrium on the axis of effortless and purposeful, appealing to other women whose wardrobes require a blend of functionality and freedom, and blending into daily life. For the Irish designer, that’s working, living, and parenting in New York City, summers in Montauk with her family, or business trips to Paris.
The designer continued to build on the vocabulary of her brand through fabrics, silhouettes, and styling. She continues to explore Naia Renew, a closed-loop fabric derived from 60% sustainably-sourced wood pulp and 40% certified recycled waste. Here, she showed it in an ivory silk-like sateen cropped field jacket, a powder pink reversible duster coat, and a black empire-waist dress. Having first introduced denim last year, this season she partnered with AGOLDE on a a barn jacket and low-rise, loose fit jeans in a light wash.
Throughout, there are romantic flourishes that uplift craftsmanship and sustainability. There is the gestural draping of capes and opera scarves, and Dentelle de Calais-Caudry (a 200-year-old, protected type of French lace) lace inserts. A handmade macramé dress, loosely inspired by my grand-aunt Bibi’s handmade linen and crochet tablecloth, is designed in collaboration with Bolivian artisans, finished with a washed cotton shirt tied across the body. Alongside the ready-to-wear, she enlisted Le Sundial to design onyx and smoky quartz jewellery and Esha Soni. On the runway, women of all ages, including venerated supermodel Paulina Porizkova, embodied the spirit of the collection.
“These are sophisticated but comfortable pieces, made to support women with demanding lives and to give them a sense of ease, confidence, and strength as they move through their day,” said McManus.
What was your starting point for the collection?
The spring 2026 collection was born from a desire to celebrate the women around me and how we come together through community, creativity, and craft. At a time when so much of the world feels defined by greed and excess, there is an undercurrent of collaboration, particularly among women, that I find both inspiring and uplifting. I wanted to capture that energy this season. It’s something that’s been considered for all aspects of our runway show as well. Each look has been crafted in collaboration with female-founded and led companies.
How did you channel your inspirations into the collection?
A lot of the inspiration comes from my own life and the women around me. Hand smocking, for example, appears throughout the collection, used on dresses, basketball shorts and massive wide leg trousers, as an ode to the smocked dresses my mother made for me as a child. The hand macramé work is inspired by a linen and crochet tablecloth my grandaunt Bibi made, translated here through collaborations with Bolivian artisans. It’s about turning memories, craft, and personal heritage into clothing that feels contemporary and functional, while staying sophisticated.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Sustainability isn’t just about the fabrics we use; it’s about the approach: creating pieces built to last, supporting artisanal skills, and collaborating with communities, whether in Bolivia or France. Every choice is intentional, designed to make fashion more accountable and more thoughtful of the purchases we make and the clothes we wear.
Your Irish heritage is finding its way into your work with references to a linen tablecloth for pre-spring. Can we expect more?
Yes, absolutely. My Irish roots continue to influence both the craft and the sentiment behind the work that I do. The tablecloth that inspired the exploration of craft in previous seasons is just one example of how my heritage informs my designs. It’s about honouring those personal histories and translating them into contemporary details that feel accessible, wearable, and meaningful. I love the idea of connecting past and present, bringing those traditions into modern wardrobes.
The label is autobiographical but are there any women whose style you admire and look to for inspiration?
I am constantly inspired by all the women in my life. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by activists, gallerists, politicians, designers, actresses, therapists – incredible women from all walks of life, each with their own incredible sense of style. Close friends like Irish actress Caitríona Balfe, activist Lucy Sumner, creative director Estelle Babenzian, and designer Rachelle Hrushka are true muses for me. Every conversation with them shapes the way I approach life and, in turn, each collection. Placing women at the forefront of what I do is essential, and I feel proud to create in dialogue with the incredible women who continually influence and inspire my work.
How do you think attitudes towards sustainable fashion are developing?
I see a growing awareness and desire for clothing that is meaningful and accountable. People are starting to care not just about how something looks, but how it’s made and who it supports. Sustainability is becoming the standard, not the exception, particularly among women seeking real, functional wardrobes that don’t compromise their values. I hope our work highlights the power of craft, community, and intentionality, encouraging a shift from consumption toward collaboration and care for people, for makers, and for the planet.
Photography by Launchmetrics Spotlight.
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