Brandon Maxwell The People Of Fall 2019 Ad Campaign

For his latest campaign, Brandon Maxwell continues to champion and showcase his ‘work family‘ that he spoke of while accepting his recent CFDA award with a campaign entitled ‘Brandon Maxwell, The People Of.’

The endearing digital–driven campaign shot in Instagram story mode features members of the designer’s atelier sporting the fall collection and looking stunning while speaking about their relationship with the brand and favorite moments at the house. Model Riley Montana leads the charge speaking about the first time she met Maxwell and how their relationship has a loyalty she hasn’t seen from other designers. Executive Vice President Sharon La Ruffa shared the moment she realizes she had made the right decision in joining the house while Head Patternmaker, Jennifer Miller, talks about her first series of three dresses that needed to be engineering feats to accomplish Maxwell’s objective of brushing the legs of the audience.

I’ve said it many times, but it’s worth mentioning again — no designer does this job alone. There is no better representative for the Brandon Maxwell brand, than the people who are helping to build it. Those featured in this campaign have devoted their careers and lended their talents to creating and making dreams come true.
– Brandon Maxwell

The campaign is tremendously endearing and speaks to the genuine values of the designer and his understanding that it takes a team and he recognizes each and every one. The campaign is well concepted albeit choppy in its execution as an art director would have tied it together and elevated it while maintaining the core roots in reality it so well achieves. There is a heavy lean toward Riley Montana with more assets than others, a large first chapter and understandable transition into the author’s previous work, but the chapter doesn’t need to be as weighty for this new novel stands on its own without the prequels. We write this out of respect, not criticism, for the designer and his achievement as a creative agency would be a valuable and critical element to help him expand his concept and package the narrative in a fashion that pulls at heartstrings even more than this solid piece of work.

The strengths of the piece lie in the stories of those who day-in-and-out partner with Maxwell to bring his vision to life. The human element is warm and you get a sense of how Maxwell governs through vision as well as listening. Of credit is how wonderful the team looks and the ease in which they speak in front of the camera. While perhaps not the intent, it showcases how well the collection looks on those who don’t traverse the runway but rather the real way, sporting Brandon Maxwell to special events in their lives.

Years ago, when The Impressionist mounted 40 runways shows under his own brand, the press would often ask “What’s more important, product or process?” Maxwell already knows the answer, neither are the right “P,” it’s people.