Maxwell Piccardo

Born on a farm in an isolated part of Italy, I grew up making and creating my ideas and eventually got my hands on a sewing machine where I soon fell in love with design. I truly love everything about the process of creating a look from drawing out the idea to putting everything all together.
As a Fashion Design major my true passion lies in pattern cutting. So for my senior thesis collection I wanted to explore and utilize interesting patterning techniques. I pulled heavy inspiration from the movie Silence of the Lambs and the dichotomy of the scene where Hannibal Lecter is restricted in a straight jacket and mask and still remains the most powerful person in the room. For me, this symbolizes the constraint that mental illness can have on your life. This collection is important to me because I have found it a way to express my feelings of depression and anxiety in a way you can't with words, but most importantly this collection demonstrates my knowledge and talent of pattern cutting.
All pieces in my collection I made with unbleached muslin fabric, which I created the textile for. The print is unique as I covered someone in black paint and had them roll over the fabric as if they were restrained themselves and trying to break free. I used my knowledge of pattern making to create straps for the looks that resemble straight jackets. Overall, my favorite look is actually the one without any straps. I like the clean cut lines and shape but most importantly, the sleeves, which were inspired by a patterning technique used in the Comme Des Garçon A/W 95’ collection. Overall, I’m truly grateful and proud to showcase this collection and how hard I’ve worked thus far.