Attention to the Artist- Maxwell Osborne: The Only Child

“Yet being only is not precipitated by being alone. It is about being boundless” -Maxwell Osborne

An only child growing up and anOnlyChild now. Maxwell Osborne, the founder and creative director of anOnlyChild, turns deadstock into couture. He makes something from nothing just as he did when he was a child, creating an imaginary friend when the second car he was playing with didn’t have a driver. His line is one of a kind and close to home. His Jamaican roots and lively city of New York inspired him. Maxwell and his team have collected fabric scraps from factories near his studio to add to their next runway piece. Many pieces are created using a needle-punch machine which intertwines multiple fabrics creating one unique textile. Osborne embraces the limitations that come with upcycling or in other words the imperfection. For instance, instead of creating individual tags for each size, his team sews an X over the size. 

Osborne learned about sustainable fashion from Eileen Fisher, during a collaboration with her and his first-line, Public School New York. Maxwell Osborne and his partner Dao-Yi Chow launched Public School New York, a Men’s tailored sportswear line, in the spring of 2008. During their collaboration with Eileen Fisher Osborne was inspired by her method of working backwards in the design process. 

Maxwell is a Monochromatic Dresser, he dresses in mostly neutrals. During the Pandemic he felt lost and wanted to use his design skills and make something colorful; something he was unfamiliar with. In the fall of 2021, Osborne branched out from Public School and built anOnlyChild. His first show was at his parents' home in Mount Vernon, New York. 

Photo from Maxwell Osborne's Studio