Brandon Maxwell's Design Inspiration Always Comes Back to Family

Published on 3/22/2022 at 4:21 PM

Courtesy of Walmart

Brandon Maxwell is busy. The celebrated designer, who boasts fans like Meghan Markle, Kristen Stewart, Lady Gaga, and Blake Lively, debuted his fall 2022 collection at New York Fashion Week, immediately followed by launches for Walmart's Scoop and Free Assembly brands where he serves as creative director.

Though a Walmart collection may seem like an unexpected move for the red carpet-friendly designer, Maxwell tells POPSUGAR that it was a natural career progression. "I'm a lifelong Walmart shopper and continue to be," he says. "It's always been a dream to work with Walmart. Everybody deserves fashion at an accessible price."

Both collections are available in Walmarts across the country, but Maxwell is especially sentimental about the Texas store. Born in Longview, Texas, where his grandmother owned a boutique, he views the experience as a full-circle moment. "I wanted to bring it back to the community where I come from," says the 37-year-old designer. "It was exciting to see my family last night trying things on, texting me what their favorite things are."

I wanted to bring it back to the community where I come from.

While the launch marks a new partnership, Maxwell insists that the design process is similar to his work on his eponymous line. "You think about the Walmart clothes being in so many more stores, which is super cool," he says. "But the day-to-day isn't very different. I've been lucky to know a new team. That's what fashion has always been for me: family, working with family."

Family also served as the inspiration for Brandon Maxwell's fall 2022 collection, which he presented as a "love letter" to his ailing grandmother, who is battling Alzheimer's disease. "Weaving her into the work has allowed me to confront [her illness], and it was a beautiful experience," he says, adding that the blanket shawls and cozy fabrics were "meant to reflect the textures and silhouettes we loved together that were of another time."

Read on for more on Brandon Maxwell's vision for Scoop and Free Assembly, the personal significance of his fall 2022 collection, and his thoughts on diversity on and off the runway.

Getty/Gary Gershoff

On the Future of the Brandon Maxwell Brand

POPSUGAR: What's next for your brand? How do you keep challenging yourself as you reach these milestones?

Brandon Maxwell: I've been waking up in the morning without being too consumed with what's next. What I know now is that you have to pay attention to what's in front of you every day and let that guide you. It's about that journey of discovery every single day. I'm just enjoying the ride.

Right now, I'm making multiple collections and two Brandon Maxwell collections for runway.

On His Muse for Brandon Maxwell’s Fall 2022 Collection

POPSUGAR: I loved the inspiration behind your fall collection as someone who shares special memories with my grandmother. What does it say about your vision for the way we'll dress post-pandemic?

Brandon Maxwell: Our focus pre and post-pandemic is to make everybody feel good in fashion. I'm not here to say what you should or shouldn't wear. I'm here to give you the option to be whoever you want to be.

With the fall collection, this was the first collection where I didn't think about trends. The show was a very private love letter to someone who's been very important in my life. She's been in my advertising campaigns and walked in my shows.

Having her diagnosed with a disease where she can't remember has been isolating. The process of weaving her into work has allowed me to confront it, and it made the experience beautiful. It wasn't meant to be overtly forward. It was meant to reflect the textures and silhouettes we loved together, that were of another time.

I'll do everything it takes to honor her in a way that she deserves. Put her name in front of everybody to honor [her] in the way that she honored me. That's what the experience of fashion is for me. It has taught and given me so much, and it was the way my grandma and I communicated. It's about community.

On the Inspiration Behind the New Free Assembly Collection

POPSUGAR: Tell me about the inspiration behind the Free Assembly collection.

Brandon Maxwell: We started about a year ago on this collection, and I was working with an incredibly talented team. We were talking about joy and optimism, and being out in the world. My job as a creative director is to think about how the clothes we make will live online and on social media. There's a scene in the campaign video running in the rain and everyone was still dancing post-shoot, and that's all I can hope for.

Courtesy of Walmart

On His Vision for the Scoop Brand

POPSUGAR: How do you differentiate both brands in your design process?

Brandon Maxwell: Scoop is trends-inspired, but designed to build a capsule closet. Print and pattern-heavy and color-heavy, it's bold dressing that says "This is who I am."

[Scoop and Free Assembly] are two different brands with different approaches. It's been a real growth and educational experience for me, having the opportunity to see the clothes in the store and the way customers engage with it. It takes me back to my childhood.

On Championing Diversity Through His Cast

POPSUGAR: Why is diversity important to you?

Brandon Maxwell: I want people to be able to see themselves, and that visibility is important. When I started making images and I went to school for photography, I captured the world the way I saw it. I reflected on what the world looks like. Images and stories matter, and even if you're not into fashion, those will still inspire you.