This season Maxwell had taken his infamous minimalism to the guest list, the invite called the show “an intimate gathering of Brandon’s family, friends and close brand supporters”. Reportedly this was no overstatement; as the venue held seating for just under 100 people.
Ahead of his SS24 collection, Maxwell told Women's Wear Daily, that he does not come from “a place of specific inspiration each season” but that each collection reflects what he is going through personally at the time. With this collection, he said he wanted to comment on the “push-pull between freedom and restraint, consideration and disregard, and destruction and creativity.”
You can see this in the show and the collection. The show was held in a white brightly lit room, with other rooms and hallways constructed for the models to walk through. This is a strong illustration of the feeling of complete freedom with the seemingly endless space but being restricted by the pathways built around the models.
The collection was made up of a variety of pieces such as blazers, coats, maxi skirts, dresses and jeans. The way the pieces are paired together and the garment construction illustrates perfectly the balance between freedom and restraint/constraints. The sharply cut jackets and blazers were designed with open sleeves letting the arms free and allowing the jackets to be worn as if they were scraped over the model’s shoulders. Maxwell paired these jackets and blazers with flowing maxi skirts. These looks from the show highly encompass the freedom aspect of his vision.
He also showed maxi skirts with draped flowing tops tied together with a metal belt. The belt brings in the more structural (constraint) element to an otherwise fluid look. The theme of using metallic elements to bring structure to the less constrained looks can be seen throughout the collection.
The more traditional jackets and blazers were paired with ripped, faded and raw-edged jeans with metallic panelling, bringing movement back into the more structural and hard garments. In a more commercial way that could be seen in everyday life, with a maxwell flare.
This show seemed to be a world away from his AW23 show where, compared to the SS24 show, the looks seemed far more straight-edged, heavily layered, and constrained. One thing that is a continual Maxwell staple is his ability to have such high levels of minimalism while creating such intricate and multifaceted garments.
All images obtained from Vogue Runway - Brandon Maxwell Spring 2024 Ready to Wear
Comments