Connor McKnight Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear: Looking Inward to Complement the Wearer
Connor McKnight is breathing easier these days.
Earlier this year, the designer sold a stake in his business to The Loyalist, an operating platform that provides services technology and capital to emerging brands. And that investment has allowed McKnight to focus on what he does best — design. Since branching out on his own, the former Kith and Bode designer has delivered a unique take on Americana informed by his Black heritage that spans everything from outdoors-inspired pieces and classically tailored topcoats to wispy sheer dresses.
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This season was no exception. McKnight said fall is a time to hunker down and be more “introspective” as people are “looking inward a bit more.”
What that translated into was a collection designed to “complement the person instead of trying to cover them up in some crazy look,” he said. Think a long cashmere topcoat in fabrics sourced from the famed Martin Greenfield custom clothing factory in Brooklyn, traditional trenchcoats in darker hues and an M65 bomber in nylon that McKnight designed to be longer this season.
But while he was prone to keeping his customers buttoned up, he didn’t step away completely from a cropped silhouette, offering it up in double-breasted jackets made in a mohair/wool blend and leather jackets with McKnight’s now signature big pockets on the front and an updated moto-style jacket with patched strip details.
For women, there was a semisheer chiffon gown with an infinity slit all the way to the top that was closed with buttons and a wispy silk cropped top. For the more modest, he also designed a long dress with a pull cord on the waist and buttons up the front.
Every season, McKnight also creates a hand-painted outfit and this time, it was a camo motif jacket and pants created from coffee.
The collection hit all the high notes of the season and now that he can focus more on design and less on logistics and sales, McKnight’s star will undoubtedly shine even brighter in the future.
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Launch Gallery: Connor McKnight Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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