Text By Cathy Gordon

“We’re never sure what month it is,” says founder John Wind of Maximal Art, known for its whimsical, holiday-themed jewelry. “We work on pieces for every holiday simultaneously—every day.”
The Maximal Art staff has maximum fun inside their suburban Philadelphia studio, turning John’s eclectic vision into collages of wearable art. Some 1,000 shops worldwide carry the collection.
While a student at the Slade School of Art in London during the early 1980s, John adorned himself with huge brooches he designed from flea-market finds. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he seldom went unnoticed. Strangers would stop him on the street, wanting to know where he got his jewelry. “My work was more sculpture than jewelry. They’d never seen anything like it.”
He began selling his wares at the London store Hyper Hyper. Confidence buoyed, he approached a higher-end shop. “The manager liked my designs, but wanted me to improve the jewelry’s quality.”
John returned weeks later, his brooches no longer set in fragile clay, but resin. His chunky creations became a hit, featured during London Fashion Week and in the pages of The London Times and British Vogue. At 23, he had arrived.

John returned to Philadelphia in 1985, founded Maximal Art, and was wildly successful—at first. “Then fashion took a turn toward the minimal. Our extravagant, vintage-inspired jewelry suddenly became not so ‘in.’”
With guidance from company president Robbin Cook, Maximal Art prevailed, finding its niche in seasonal jewelry with a two-dimensional look. “We redefined our product and found a customer base that wanted us, because the Prada-loving, high-fashion customer just didn’t,” John says. “We ended up a stronger company, because we weren’t based on the whims of fashion.”
Creative energy and the ability to stay ahead of an ever-changing market continue to drive Maximal Art. With Robbin’s encouragement, John launched the John Wind Signature Collection in 2004, an innovative mix of old and new with crystals, beads, and quirky charms reminiscent of his early designing days. “Every day is a new chance to be creative,” John says. “It’s so much fun!”