Brandon Maxwell may be a Project Runway judge, but the designer is still just a fan at heart.
Growing up in the early 2000s, the Texas native was an aspiring photographer with an interest in fashion—and an avid fan of the competition series.
“I did watch from the very first season,” the designer tells Vanity Fair in a recent Zoom.
Twenty seasons later, , Maxwell still can’t he’s now part of the franchise. The designer joined the judges’ panel in 2019; now he’s gearing up for the show’s 20th anniversary season, an All Stars competition that will pit some of the best-loved Project Runway contestants against each other.Before joining the team, “I honestly had never thought about being on TV,” says the designer, who has dressed A-list names from Lady Gaga and Oprah to Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle. “I think I was really scared of it. I was like, ‘Well, I haven’t done this for that long. And maybe they could find somebody else who’s had a longer career.’ But I think that ultimately became the selling point for me. I’m not that far removed from where [the contestants] are…and I felt like hopefully I could bring some knowledge and meet them where they are.”
Despite feeling a little “nervous” about joining Project Runway, Maxwell ultimately made the leap. It helps that he already knew judges Nina Garcia and Elaine Welteroth, as well as Project Runway winner turned cast mentor Christian Siriano.
“Each of the people that I was going to be on the show with, I was genuinely friends with and had worked with in some capacity before,” he says. “Christian and I specifically, it’s like we’re also designing our own collections while we’re filming… And so I think that that is really comforting and I think that there’s nobody else I would want to do it with. I’ve had some of the greatest memories with [the cast].”
Barbara Nitke/Bravo
As a longtime fan of the show, Maxwell was particularly excited about meeting All Star contestant Kara Suan, one of the breakout stars from Project Runway season one. “I remember her final collection. I was invested in her career even though I didn’t know her,” he says. “This season in particular was emotional for me, because the same boy that was sitting there rooting for Kara Saun to win is sitting up on the stage, talking to her about her designs. And it feels like a very full circle moment that I could have never dreamed of.”
In addition to rooting for old favorites, Maxwell couldn’t wait for this season’s Bravo-themed challenges—like the episode in which season 19’s contestants were blessed with the task of designing reunion dresses for seven Real Housewives from various franchises. (Season 20’s trailer hints that this year’s will have something to do with Below Deck.)
Morgan Evans
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