His internship experience in different designer studios showed him the path of a designer establishing a brand: studying at a fashion school in London, receiving support from the British Fashion Council, and submitting an application to Fashion East… Perhaps the difference he made on this path was that he met a group of creative and influential friends, such as Grace Wales Bonner (the two met while working at Selfridges in London, where Davis worked as a junior designer at the Wales Bonner studio after graduating in 2017), singer songwriter Kella, photographer Rafael Pavarotti, stylist, and editor in chief of “Dazed” Ib Kamara, as well as Momara. New generation designers such as Wallola Ogonlesi (former chief designer of Yeezy Gap), Supriya Lele, Priya Ahluwalia, A Sai Ta, etc.
In October 2019, Davis handcrafted two T-shirts to commemorate his grandmother (with the aim of creating a feeling of second-hand clothing, like a sacred garment passed down through bloodline) and sold them on Instagram. Through this sale, he raised £ 4000 in cash for his upcoming series, which is “unbelievable.” He said in an interview with the UK version of Vogue that the response exceeded his expectations.
Later, Davis and Kamara cooperated on a small series consisting of six models. They originally planned to shoot with Pavarotti, but this idea had to be abandoned due to the COVID-19 epidemic. But he also had the opportunity to continue improving, researching, and perfecting, “building a true identity around them,” and ultimately developing it into a relatively complete 18 shapes. It wasn’t until then that he applied for Fashion East. “I contacted founder Lulu Kennedy, and I thought she would reject me, but she said she hadn’t seen anything like this in a long time,” he said
Davis revolves around his family and ethnic identity, narrating cultural traditions, black history, and island culture through his personal brand Maximilian. From the early morning street parties that kicked off the carnival in Trinidad, to the 20th century Trinidad dancer and painter Boscoe Holder, and then to the Chesterfield sofa at his grandparents’ house, Davis combines rich materials such as personal memories, ethnic customs, artworks, and club music with simple forms, exquisite and modern, showcasing the charm of his body through varying degrees of skin exposure.
“Black Elegance” is the style set by Davis for Maximilian, and it is also his design trait: clean and smooth cutting, slim and fitting silhouette, bold color choices, the wearer’s skin will be exposed from the stacked wrinkles and intersecting hollows, and the overall style is free from the middle zone of elegance and sexiness. “In addition to his outstanding performance in proportion and cutting, as well as his honed business acumen, I also like the tension in Maximilian’s works.” Kennedy once commented, “The tug of war between shyness, restraint, and releasing sensuality perfectly fits his style and is also very charming.”
