Are there Filipino parents who are as understanding and broadminded like those of Max Alexander, the 10-year-old American boy who was recognized as the youngest designer to present his collection at the Paris Fashion Week held 2 to 10 March this year?
It was not the first time that Max Alexander (whose surname is Madison) was accorded such an honor. He had been similarly honored at the Aspen Fashion Week sometime this year.
Max was born in 2016 in Los Angeles to an American mother, Sherri Madison, and a Canadian father. His mother is an artist known as “The Cardboard Queen” from HBO Max’s Craftopia, and she builds sculptural, sustainable art from recycled materials.
At 4, Max reveals a secret
Max was dining with his family in Los Angeles when he announced that he needed a mannequin because he was actually a dressmaker. He was only four years old at that time.
The announcement shocked his parents, as they had no previous close connection to fashion design. But they never anxiously proclaimed Max as possibly “queer.” They may never be bothered at all if Max grows up to be “queer.”
Max Alexander is the middle child, with an older sister who was one of his first muses, and a younger brother, Dorian, who reportedly helps with his business, Couture to the Max.
His mother provided him with resources and encouragement when he began designing and sewing as early as age four, and later enrolled him in formal sewing classes.
While Max claims to have no prior knowledge of his family’s history, it was later discovered that his great-grandfather, Jack, was a prolific dress pattern maker and owner of numerous dress shops in Montreal.
One day, Max started telling people that he believes he is the reincarnation of Guccio Gucci, the founder of a great fashion house in Florence, Italy.
Max was no longer four years old when he started claiming he was the reincarnation of fashion czar Guccio Gucci. The boy seems to read a lot and easily absorbs whatever goes through his senses. It also seems he does not know how messy the Gucci family history unfolded after the fashion czar passed away.
Recently, DAILY TRIBUNE Lifestyle associate editor Deni Bernardo shared that Max now feels he is the reincarnation of another fashion great, Karl Lagerfeld.
Max actually considers Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, his “fashion godmother” and mentor.
At 10 years old, Max made history by debuting his own show at Paris Fashion Week, held at the iconic Palais Garnier.
At the presentation, he showed 15 dresses under his signature Couture to the Max, a collection that also stood out for its sustainable approach, as many of the pieces were made with recyclable, biodegradable materials and fabrics left over from other textile productions.
Max started sewing at 4, and at 7 he held a world record as the youngest catwalk designer. Even before arriving in Paris, he had already created garments for celebrities like Sharon Stone and Debra Messing.
There is now a regular Facebook Reel page devoted to Max’s career as the world’s most accomplished designer at 10. The reels show how he designs outfits by draping colorful textiles onto a mannequin, observing how they hug the body and how the hemlines shape up. He then cuts the textile with scissors to create flowing or billowing women’s outfits for the runway.
Bruno Mars’ ‘Risk It All’ launches at number one
The song, from the star singer-songwriter’s new album The Romantic — which likewise starts atop the US-based Billboard 200 — is his third Global 200 leader and his first on his own (since the chart began in 2020), after “Die With a Smile,” with Lady Gaga, dominated for 18 weeks from September 2024 through last May, and “APT.,” with ROSÉ, ruled for 12 weeks from November 2024 to February 2025.
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 includes worldwide data, while the Global Excl. US chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales. The latter reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might” rebounds for a third week atop the Billboard Hot 100. The song, up four spots, spent its first two weeks on the chart at number one in January, having become his 10th career leader and his first to debut at the summit.
Plus, Mars’ “Risk It All” enters the Hot 100 at number four, marking his 22nd top 10. Both songs are from the superstar’s Atlantic Records album The Romantic, which launches atop the Billboard 200, where it is his second No. 1. Mars thus rules Billboard’s premier album and song charts simultaneously for the first time.
Media companies in the US now proclaim Mars as doing much better than Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey in worldwide popularity based on Billboard charts.