Brandon Maxwell is poised to become a fashion superstar. With the help of Michelle Obama and Lady GaGa, his designs have been featured on many best dressed lists. Maxwell is is a relatively new designer who has long had an eye toward inclusion. With his latest campaign, he aimed to "tell a human story that highlights someone you love."
He enlisted model friend Riley Montana to do just that. Montana (whose real name is Ebony Riley) travels back to her Detroit home for an intimate look into her life before she became a sought after model.
The short film is an important one because she almost lost touch with who she is.
“There was a time when I lost myself and I wasn’t enjoying [modeling], because I was so scared to be myself,” she told Vogue. “I couldn’t be Ebony—I would tell myself that ‘Riley’ has to be this super-polished and proper person. I was traveling the world for the first time, going here and there and meeting these beautiful people, and I just wasn’t happy. At the end of the day they weren’t even getting to meet the real me.”
Maxwell spoke to Vogue about why he chose Montana for the short film.
“I’ve spent so much time with Riley and we talked about our lives and similarities,” says Maxwell. “I realized that she’s the embodiment of the woman I design for. The woman who, no matter what she’s been through, puts on the clothes with her head held high.”
