Brandon Maxwell

A beloved figure to lovers of fashion the world over, designer Brandon Maxwell was born in Longview, Texas in 1984. Maxwell's family owned a beer, wine, and liquor distributorship, but he was more influenced by his grandmother, a buyer for an upscale women's boutique who gave the young Maxwell an up close look at the tremendous creativity offered by the world of clothes-and how much these fashion choices meant to the women trying them on. He would enroll at Marymount Manhattan College and later transfer to St. Edward's University, graduating with a degree in photo communication, but upon graduating, he returned to New York and began working as an assistant to stylist Deborah Afshani. Later assisting stylist Nicola Formichetti, Maxwell met music star Lady Gaga, and by 2012, he had been hired on as her fashion director. This kind of recognition and support helped tremendously as Maxwell prepared to launch his own clothing line, which he did in 2015 to major acclaim. His pieces would soon be worn by stars like Nicole Kidman, Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington, and Jennifer Lawrence. Marketing his designs with the directive to make women feel beautiful and empowered, he quickly became a burgeoning star of the fashion world, his notoriety increasing steadily with each new season.