In just a few seasons since his solo runway debut, Maximilian Raynor has quickly become one of London Fashion Week’s hottest names to watch. His theatrical designs have even caught the eye of some of pop culture’s boldest dressers such as Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan. His spring/summer 2026 collection, titled I’ll Cry If I Want To, builds on that sense of fantasy that has become his signature. “I was thinking about a young boy stumbling across a box of old family photographs and, that night, dreaming of a retro birthday party where the ghosts of all his ancestors are in attendance.” Raynor explains. “It was an exploration of a queer child’s fabulous exaggeration of reality.”

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Staged within a David Lynch-ian, red carpeted room filled with birthday cakes and balloons, Raynor wanted it to feel “somewhere between an old-fashioned British working men’s club and a glamorous basement cocktail bar from the ‘70s.” The designer’s approach to fashion is more akin to that of a filmmaker. “I’ve always loved storytelling. I love that as the designer you can build a whole world,” he reflects excitedly. “I can design the characters, pick the music, work with dancers, singers, and set designers, and then of course pick the colours, fabrics, textures, hair, makeup, and more!”

His process mirrors a similar theatricality. “I usually have a character in mind,” he shares. “I ask myself, what would this person wear, how would they move, what music would they listen to, who would they kiss in a club.” These imagined lives inform everything from the materials and silhouettes. “I like to start with textiles—often using scraps or waste to develop new fabric manipulation ideas.” Among his innovations is a wool feathering technique that repurposes surplus felt from piano washers as an alternative to fur or feathers. Notably, Teyana Taylor wore a look made of this material on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year.

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Collaboration further expands Raynor’s world. “I was thrilled to work with both the eyewear brand, Komono and John Smedley Knitwear,” he shares. “Smedley is a heritage brand from my home county, where I did a work experience when I was 15. It was a dream come true to fuse their classic polo and cardigan silhouettes with Maximilian Raynor prints. Komono is a younger eyewear brand and their sunglasses feel both ambitious and fresh, but also wearable and classic.” Partnerships like these offer customers a more accessible entry point into the Maximilian Raynor universe. “For those who are not able to commission a red carpet look for multiple thousands, the eyewear and knitwear distills the energy and ethos of my brand into consumable pieces,” he explains.

Behind the fantasy, however, lies the reality of building an independent label. “Money, money, money,” Raynor says candidly when asked about his biggest challenge. “The more you make, the more you have to spend.” Support from various organisations and competitions has been crucial, while “student volunteers are the reason I survive,” he humbly adds. Alongside this, he teaches at the University of the Arts London, noting that “there is no better side hustle than to work with young people who share my love of fashion.”

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At the end of the day, it is the people around him who define the experience. “Up until the fall/winter 2026 show, I always said dressing Lady Gaga was my proudest moment, but I’d now say it is seeing the euphoria of my team after the show. I was so overwhelmed to see how happy they were to be part of it,” he recalls. Even for a designer so immersed in fantasy, it is the real moments that ground him.

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