French Kissing Life

Ep 125: What I'm Loving This Month: You Won't Believe This Kid's Talent

Shawnna Stiver Episode 125

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0:00 | 16:49

Picture this. March 3rd, 2026, Paris. The Palais Garnier, all gilded ceilings and red velvet and history, and onto the runway walks the first model in a corseted gown made from a French military parachute. The designer who built it had turned 10 years old two days before.

This month, I am completely obsessed with a kid named Max Alexander. He holds the Guinness World Record for youngest runway fashion designer in the world, and his story does something to me that goes way past cute. The part I keep circling back to is how he works. He never starts with sketches. He starts with his hands. And somewhere in watching this 10-year-old eat macarons at the most iconic opera house in the world, I started asking myself why so many of us wait to have the whole thing figured out before we ever touch the fabric.

Topics Covered:

  • The 10-year-old who showed a 15-look collection at Paris Fashion Week.
  • His very first design, a dress made from ribbons and tape for his big sister.
  • Why he starts with his hands instead of sketches.
  • Draping versus sketching, and the difference between trusting the material and needing the plan first.
  • Making couture from a parachute, a vintage sari, and 28 Free People shopping bags.
  • How fine art, not fashion, shaped the way he sees and creates.
  • Declaring what you are instead of waiting for permission or validation.
  • The question to sit with: what is your mannequin, and what would happen if you just went to it.

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Until next time, muah! 

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