Yahoo Lifestyle Brandon Maxwell Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear: A Clear Vision
Brandon Maxwell kicked off the first official day of New York Fashion Week with a strong outing of new American sportswear, guided by his interest in “a deeply convicted sartorial expression,” he said backstage.
“You can’t change the world completely, but you can try to leave your mark where you can. That’s what I want to do for American sportswear. I believe strongly in this community and am so proud to work in New York. I just wanted to say that very boldly,” he added of walking toward his 10-year anniversary in September.
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Over the last few years, the designer has grappled with grief and a bit of rage through the process of loss and personal growth; going into the next decade, he said his confident point of view is front and center, and he’s proud of that.
Conviction through repetition was key, and was a result of switching up his process from designing the collection look-by-look to offering more individual styles — a layered wardrobe and merchandising-based approach he spoke about last season. Pre-fall was the brand’s “most successful collection” thus far, so the idea was massively expanded here, namely with a handful of key pieces including elongated pinstripe button-downs, fluted midi skirts, trousers cut as low-slung track pants, a variety of turtleneck silhouettes (including great clingy ribbed maxidresses in animalia motifs) and loads of good outerwear.
Inspirations included Robert Mapplethorpe for leathers, as on a great double-lapel bomber and utility belts, while the spirit of 1950s menswear came through in the heritage checks and plaids in modern tailoring. During a preview, Maxwell said the latter recalled those of his fall 2017 collection, but with a softer hand, while the former harked back to fall 2020’s — “It’s funny how this time mirrors that time, it was exactly eight years ago,” he said of the current political climate, a subtle collection undercurrent.
“When I started fall, everything that was very soft, I felt, get rid of,” he said, pointing out how his billowing gazar dresses and blouses were “a bit more aggressive” in their animalia prints. But fall wasn’t harsh or rigid, rather a balance of the sharp and sculptural and everyday, layered up to create a modern wardrobe of luxury staples, with special twists.
“It was important to me to style the collection together in a way that felt very expressive, and expressive on the characters we cast. I wanted everyone to have their own personality, that’s what America is to me,” Maxwell said a day before the show. “But at the end of the day, I also just wanted them to be desirable pieces for the customer. That was my biggest focus.”
With fall, Maxwell’s clear point of view — sleek, sophisticated, luxe, layered and very wearable — came to fruition.
Launch Gallery: Brandon Maxwell Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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