When stylist-turned-designer Brandon Maxwell started in fashion in 2015, he spent a lot of time catering to celebrities on the red carpet, including Lady Gaga, Blake Lively and Oprah.
Now, seven years later, and after adding Walmart creative director to his CV, he’s putting his focus on everyday dressing and the brass tacks of running a business, which is always where pre-collections begin.
“I could offer you something that’s going to be a spectacle or something that would be hard to put on, or I could give you great pants to actually wear and get a lot of mileage out of. That’s what I’m really interested in right now,” said Maxwell, who has also been filming season 20 of “Project Runway.”
So he leaned into versatile pieces in butter cream, baby blue and pink, navy and black, including a great-looking, sharp-tailored inverted lapel blazer, and a strapless, zip-front cargo stretch minidress that could be worn alone, over a sheer top or with a light cashmere sweater.
“I wanted to really show the many ways you could buy a piece and invest in it,” he said, adding how another of the collection’s hero pieces, a zip-front sequined cargo miniskirt, could also be worn alone, with a zipper-embellished black tank top and his bestselling cropped black pants, over denim wide-legged cargo trousers, or even a sequined tank gown to create different looks.
A knit tunic was another wardrobing piece that could be a (micro) minidress, or a top over Latex cargo leggings. “I love the idea of being able to put your credit card in your legging,” Maxwell laughed. “And this blouse, we worked on the drape and the seams so it billows in the back just so,” he said, showing off the shirt tail.
The utilitarian approach extended to oversized zipper pulls and chain fastenings on cardigans, a double-layer leather moto jacket, and a sleek black column gown with a two-way zipper down the front to adjust the amount of cleavage one wants, for one. “Ease is something I’ve been thinking a lot about, and being able to put on something without a team of people,” he said.
Working with Walmart has been illuminating when it comes to thinking about commerciality in all his endeavors.
“Everyone’s super smart and really wonderful. It’s also a great experience that I don’t necessarily always get at Brandon Maxwell, because I literally do pass people on the street wearing it,” he said of creating the affordable Free Assembly and Scoop lines. “I get to have that conversation and it’s really informative.”
Source: WWD