After performing in Paris for the past two seasons, Connor McKnight has returned home.
The Brooklyn-based designer, a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund this year, presented a spring collection titled “At Ease,” and like his previous offerings, it offered an almost autobiographical look at his life, reflected in the clothes.
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“I just turned 30 and I’m trying to stop looking for difficult solutions,” he said, adding that in the past his design process and life seemed more chaotic than necessary. So this season he returned to the calm and reflection he felt when creating his first collection during the pandemic in 2020. For that collection, he used a lot of leftover fabrics that he was able to source in limited quantities.
This time he has made nylon jackets and some of his workwear from old tents and parachutes. These include bright yellow and green bomber jackets with hoods in bright yellow or green. A green army tent from WWII was repurposed into cargo parachute pants and a bug net was made into a mesh jacket.
Due to the shortage of materials, many pieces are one-offs, unless some tents or parachutes were so large that two could be made.
“It’s a fun twist on the silhouettes I used and adds spontaneity to the collection,” said McKnight.
In addition to the one-off pieces, McKnight has also revamped some of his classics, including his double-breasted suits, which are now longer and more oversized than before. Although the silhouette has changed, the suits are still made at the Martin Greenfield factory in Brooklyn.
“I’ve had a lot of success with my suits,” McKnight said, adding that they’ve become popular at weddings and special occasions where men are more open to dressing more creatively. McKnight also brought back his shorter, double-breasted model from last year, but this time offered it in ivory as a tuxedo.
He also brought back his popular short, boxy moto-style leather jacket – “My hero product,” he said – but this year in a chocolate brown shade, paired with baggy leather pants.
McKnight also departed from his neutral color palette and designed long-sleeved polo shirts with colorful stripes, as well as sleeveless models and cardigan versions.
McKnight said the collection was inspired by the 1960s and 1970s, his “favorite eras in clothing and film. But I wanted to find ways to bring it into the present.” Mission accomplished.
Launch gallery: Photos from Connor McKnight’s Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear collection
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