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brandonmaxwellstudio
About the campaign:
Brandon Maxwell and Riley Montana Talk Representation, Authenticity, and Filming in Detroit
For Brandon Maxwell, there are two kinds of fashion campaigns. “You can have a girl jump around and have everything beautiful, or you can choose to tell a human story that highlights someone you love,” says the designer. For his Spring 2017 campaign, Maxwell took the latter approach, enlisting close friend Riley Montana and filmmaker Jessy Price to create an immersive mini film detailing Montana’s path from Detroit to her current role as a top model. As one of the first women Maxwell cast in his show and a longtime pal, Montana made for an ideal subject. “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.”
Montana’s story is far from a typical scouted-on-the-street modeling tale. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream and worked multiple retail jobs to support herself as she rose through the ranks. Through it all, her connection to her family and hometown has never wavered, so when the subject of doing a film shot in Detroit came up, she was game. “We were in Paris last season and randomly started talking about it,” says Montana. “Brandon and I have become so close over the past three years; I talk to him about everything already. In the moment I didn’t fully take it in, but we started planning and it all came together.”
The film presented a unique set of challenges. The documentary style of the piece meant Montana would have to share her personal life and involve her entire family in the process. While her aunts and sisters had no qualms about participating, Montana admits to feeling anxious. “I was so scared,” says Montana. “Not because I was ashamed of where I came from or my family. It was just hard for me to visualize someone else being able to capture the love we have for one another and the energy we share.” Even with her jitters, Montana’s faith in Maxwell’s artistic vision and their friendship ultimately won out. “I couldn’t see bringing anyone else in the industry besides Brandon, because he and I are so close,” says Montana. “Once things started happening, it became one of the best experiences of my life.”
Taking the audience through her passage from Ebony Riley, Detroit teenager, to Riley Montana, international model, Montana provides insight into the image pressures that many models, particularly those of color, face. From having to adopt a new name to feeling the need to distance herself from her past, Montana’s fashion experience has been bittersweet. “There was a time when I lost myself and I wasn’t enjoying [modeling], because I was so scared to be myself,” she says. “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.” Over time and with the help of friends like Maxwell, Montana realized her fashion success wasn’t dependent on conforming to an ideal. “I’m done with that chapter. I’m not hiding or changing who I am,” says Montana. “I’m not living in Detroit anymore, but I’ve been given a platform to reach out to the people whom I want to reach out to. [Fashion] has offered me a different life, and I just want to be happy and thankful for all of it.”
Maxwell and Price’s campaign film exists to showcase Montana’s realness. What separates the clip from the countless luxury ads filling the Internet is its focus on identity. The model’s candor regarding her progression plays out through a voice-over in which she describes her evolution. Intercut with shots of the Riley clan gathering in the living room to watch as their Ebony saunters down Maxwell’s runway are moments spent flipping through baby pictures and scrapbooks. The authenticity had a profound effect on Maxwell. “I had chills when her family saw her walking for the first time in the video,” he says.
Beyond providing insight into Montana’s world, the film manages to continue the fashion conversation regarding inclusion, something Maxwell was conscious of throughout the process. “I don’t think it’s going to change things overnight, but I hope that we’re contributing to the narrative of change,” says Maxwell. “For me, it’s important that not only in the imagery of the campaign, but also in the shows, we represent a world that is round, a world that is diverse, accepting, and loving.” Focusing on the power of possibility and representation, he hopes that viewers see something of themselves in the final product. “That’s what this story was about for me, that no matter where you come from or what you don’t come from, or what you are, that anything is possible.” For Montana, who teared up the first time she saw the finished piece, the message is loud and clear. “[The film] put me back in a really good mind-set as far as where I come from. I had never seen my community represented in a way that is this beautiful. It just made me think not to forget what you came from; don’t forget the things that made you who you are.”
by JANELLE OKWODU for vogue.com
Probably my favourite campaign this season, Brandon is on fire.
