Brandon Maxwell Dresses Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama

JKDV: You serve as Gaga’s fashion director and do other styling as well. How do you juggle everything?
BM: The thing about styling is that it is such a cleansing of the palate. Sometimes you make a quick decision like rolling up a sleeve or cutting something, and you’re like, ‘Ah, that’s the thing I’ve been missing in the collection. I freed my mind for a few hours, and I found it.’ And Gaga doesn’t really feel like work to me. That’s a dream—getting to work with your friend.

JKDV: Naomi Campbell is another friend and muse, and who we photographed you with for this Glamour shoot. How did you two meet?
BM: We met through [stylist] Edward Enniful, who was one of my first bosses. One of the first jobs I did with him was a cover with Naomi. I remember her smelling like heaven, and she was perfectly moisturized. I was like, Oh my God, what’s happening?

JKDV: Did you two become fast friends?
BM: No, because I was an assistant with a fanny pack. We were not going for coffee after, no. But we came together again recently, through Edward again. I made her a dress for her 46th birthday party. She’s become a friend.

JKDV: What kinds of things do you do together off duty?
BM: We go out for lunch. I eat pasta with butter. She eats grilled fish. She’s always coming from pilates or something, and I’ve just woken up and am having coffee and smoking. I’m like, ‘OK. Good for you.’

JKDV: Ok, back to your designs. Your color palette is pretty much void of color. Why?
BM: I was in a really dark place before my first show. The collection was black and white, because I felt black and white. It was a stuggle emotionally. My girlfriends rallied around and helped me, and instead of going to a therapist, I turned up the music and created with my hands. But I’m in love now, and my personal life feels very colorful at the moment.