Maisie Wilen

January 28, 2020By Leticia Gantt

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Celebrating the neon hues, body-con dressing, and optic prints of the '90s.

ONE TO WATCH

After graduating from Parsons with a degree in womenswear, Maisie Schloss worked her way into a job most fashion alum would only dream of: working for Kanye West’s brand, Yeezy. While there, her singular sense of style made quite the impression, as Schloss became the first designer to receive support through West’s creative incubator for young talent in the fashion industry.

Her debut collection, Maisie Wilen, celebrates the neon hues, body-con dressing, and optic prints of the ‘90s, but with a fresh and modern approach (The brand, by the way, borrows from Schloss’s mother’s maiden name.)

Stretch jersey dresses are a standout with hyper-color prints and strategically placed bars of color that curve with the body. The silhouettes are sexy, but retain a cool athletic vibe that’s reminiscent of gymnasts and figure skaters. Adding a playful touch are a series of paint-by-number tees, which Schloss customized during her recent trip to our Dallas flagship store.

“They’re like the ones we loved when we were kids,” she says. “And they come with a Maisie Wilen Sharpie so you can DIY.” We grabbed a few minutes with Schloss to talk about creativity and what’s next.

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How do you create these prints? What’s your design process?
To boil it down simply, I sit in front of the computer for many, many hours. (laughs). I start by collecting a lot of image references and eclectic inspirations before I sketch my silhouettes. From those silhouettes, I’ll start to create the prints on the computer.

All your prints are done digitally?
Yes, they’re all custom and processed a million times. Like, I’ll start with the concept of a print and then render something out on the computer. Then put a liquefy effect on it or something and do it in 30 different colorways to see what works. I’m constantly imagining how the prints will look on the body, so that’s why you see a lot of ergonomic lines that are placed thoughtfully.

You’re young, but you’ve already had some big career wins. What advice would you give other aspiring designers?
Try to get involved in a little of everything. That was the main takeaway from working at Yeezy.

The collection's lookbook captures the fresh and modern approach the designer takes.

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The silhouettes are sexy, but retail a cool athletic vibe that's reminiscent of gymnasts and figure skaters.

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"I'm very into print and color," explains the designer.

Bjork, Dolly Parton, Grace Jones…The range of your style icons is really varied. Is there a common denominator? They’re all people who are bold in their decisions and very personal in their style. That’s what I’m really drawn to.

How would you describe your personal style?
I’m very into print and color. I’m definitely an eccentric dresser, so the collection is a reflection of my personal style.

Your pieces have been worn by celebs, which much be exciting, but it must be cool to spot them on other cool girls. How do you most like to see them styled?
I love seeing girls who’ve eclectically mixed it up and layered pieces. The pieces are very eye-catching and, of course, stand on their own, but I love a good mix. It’s something I was very intentional about while designing the collection. It gets better the more you layer on.

What’s next?
I’m interested in exploring new categories: bags, swimwear, maybe kids…anything!