The eastside art set came out to support Maisie Schloss’ on her new line Maisie Wilen which debut at Night Gallery. As former women’s wear designer for YEEZY, Kanye was on hand as well to help launch the label which he provided initial seed funding and support to. The LA based Chicago designer’s creations were graphically rich with nods to her youth in gymnastics and robotics presented in an array of knitted items. Many pieces including a range of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants felt right in the YEEZY vocabulary, though remixed with Maisie’s prints and graphics. We took a moment with the designer outside the event to see what the new collection was all about.
**What is the background with the prints, the designs and the graphics printed on top?**
I developed all of the prints myself. It was a lot of looking at textural prints, messing around with them on Photoshop. I looked a lot at rhythmic gymnastics leotards, and those gestural but ergonomic, prints that are usually sequined on there, but doing it in a two-dimensional print. Also robotics, these ergonomic body lines.
**I love it! Is the gymnastic reference in the finger rings as well?**
It’s on a lot of performance leotards. I was actually a figure skater growing up, and I always thought this was very elegant when this was on my costumes, so I wanted to incorporate that.
**What would you like the people to know about the collection?**
I was really focused on making pieces that the women who buy it will wear just a ton. You know, it’s fun, it has these bright prints and colors, but it’s really rooted in very wearable shapes, and that I really imagine a lot of girls wanting to wear all the time.
**You began initially working with Kanye. What was your position there, did you do textiles as well?**
I was a womenswear designer. Although, I feel like saying that does it a bit of injustice, you know, the beauty of working at YEEZY is you have visibility to so many projects. Mainly focused on womenswear design, but in reality, a whole lot more.
* * *
Photographed by [Devin Kasparian](https://www.instagram.com/devin.pdf/?hl=en)
.jpg)
