Glamour USA - September 2016

Fashion / Designer Crush
Center Stage It’s official! Maxwell is the
new red-carpet darling, dressing Karlie
Kloss, left, for the Met Gala (“I literally built
the dress on her body,” he says), Lady Gaga,
below, for the Academy Awards, and
Doutzen Kroes for the Cannes Film Festival.
JANE KELTNER DE VALLE: You launched
your label only a year ago, and now you’re
nominated for one of the most prestigious
awards in fashion. Does it feel like a
whirlwind?
BRANDON MAXWELL: My life was in such a
different place a year ago, personally and
professionally. I can’t believe I’m here right
now. I’m wearing a tuxedo, which I’ve done
only once. I don’t usually wear things without
stretch.
JKDV: Ha! For what other occasion did you
wear a tux?
BM: Actually, with Iman to Glamour’s
Women of the Year Awards. Growing up,
I had to wear a suit to school, so I’m allergic
now.
JKDV: But your designs are the opposite of
your personal style. So much of American
fashion has a sporty feel; what you’re doing
has a more “dressed” attitude.
BM: My job is to make women feel beautiful—no
one cares what I look like.
Speaking honestly, I think that sometimes
that confident, sexy look comes from my
not feeling that way. I’m designing for the
woman I would want to be.
JKDV: You’ve dressed women of all ages,
which is nice. Many designers seem to only
care about the ingenue.
BM: The first thing we said when we
started was that I wanted to be able to
dress the daughter all the way to the
grandmother. There are things that are
higher around the neck because my mom’s
sensitive about her neck. Also, I grew up in
East Texas. I didn’t grow up in an all-white
neighborhood. I don’t want to be a brand
that’s like, “You’re not at our table.” You
are. I want women to feel their best.
JKDV: That’s an empowering message.
BM: It’s a woman-centered brand. All the
women in my life see the collection every
day. There’s a group text with my girlfriends,
and I ask them, “Would you wear
it?” Your childhood friends aren’t afraid to
say, “No, that’s hideous.” Sometimes when
you’re working until two in the morning,
you think you have an amazing idea, and
you come back at 8:00 A.M. and you’re
like, “That’s the worst idea I’ve had in my
life.” So it’s important to share.
JKDV: Who’s on the group text?
BM: My best friend from home, Gabriella,
my sister, my mom, Gaga, and my
friends Jaime, Michelle, and Bo. My
mom texts me every day. I’m from an
Italian family, so I kind of have to do
what my mom says.
JKDV: How would you describe your
clothes?
BM: I make simple things that are tailored.
It’s the perfect black pant or the perfect
blazer. We do only six or seven gowns, and
they’re usually black. I don’t do a lot of pageantry.
I never want my clothes to outshine
the woman.
JKDV: What’s been a career highlight?
BM: They’re all highlights. The first time
someone wore something was Gaga at
the Emmys. She always makes me feel
like it is the only and best option, even
when she has hundreds of options. And
obviously Gaga at the Oscars was a
dream come true. She’s my biggest fan,
and so much of what I have is because of
her and her selflessness.
JKDV: Your color palette is pretty much
void of color. Why?
BM: I was in a really dark place before my
first show. The collection was black and
white, because I felt black and white.
Instead of going to a therapist, I turned up
the music and created with my hands. But
I’m in love now, and my personal life feels
very colorful at the moment.
JKDV: So are we going to see more color,
going forward?
BM: You might. But you know me, I think
black is a color.
JKDV: What women inspire you?
BM: My friends. Jackie O. Princess Diana.
When I get stuck, I’m like, “Would Princess
Diana wear this?” I’ve always been
inspired by women who hold their head up
high. Nobody thinks, Poor Jackie O. She
was cheated on and everything was awful
for her. Because Jackie O didn’t cry in public.
She put on a major outfit. She walked
out the door, and she was strong.
JKDV: And the clothes helped her do that.
BM: One thousand percent, and that
strength and grace are what I’m attracted
to. We all have days when we just can’t get
out of bed, but we have to. I think about
that when I’m designing. I’m like, “What
dress is she going to put on that [the man
who wronged her] sees it in a picture and
realizes what a mistake he made?” There
is nothing better than that. Everybody
wants that moment.
KLOSS: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES. GAGA: TODD WILLIAMSON/GETTY IMAGES. KROES: FOC KAN/FILMMAGIC
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