10 Years in, Brandon Maxwell Is Ready for His Next Chapter

The Citizen

8 months ago

Anyone who follows Brandon Maxwell knows he’s not afraid to get personal. Over the past few years, he’s experienced journeys of grief, loss, anxiety and reflection, losing “three of the most important beings in [his] life in succession,” as he recently shared in a heartfelt Instagram post. He’s poured these emotions into his body of work, resulting in seasons of autobiographically informed collections.

“I think what I was trying to do in the past couple of shows ultimately ended up very vague,” he told Fashionista backstage at his Fall 2025 show on Thursday. “I should have said it more strongly, but I was really trying to work through, trying to beautify a very ugly situation.”

Now, he’s ready to move forward.

“With both what was going on in my life and what’s going on in the world, I wanted to openly say something on the runway and in my work that felt convicted,” he shared, “that felt like not asking for permission to exist, not apologizing for the things I’m feeling [and] not apologizing for the things I’m going through.”

This materialized in a lineup that felt, as he said himself, “confident.” Models walked down the runway in menswear-inspired button-downs, tool-belted trousers and double-lapel leather jackets. The outerwear is particularly scrumptious, especially the maxi coats with voluminous attached scarves draped across the shoulders.

As the brand celebrates a decade this year, it’d be understandable for Maxwell to go retrospective for his latest proposal. And there are certainly hints of his earlier collections via a few design details. But, he emphasizes he’s ready to bring something new to the stage.

“Through this period, I’ve realized I’m not going to be able to change the world overnight, but I can try to leave my mark — personally, but also through my job — little by little,” he says. “That was the whole goal of this collection, was to try to move American sportswear forward in my own way. Whether that’s for everyone or not is not for me to decide or care about anymore.”

See the Brandon Maxwell Fall 2025 collection below.