The designer spoke with Insider about perseverance and what he hopes comes next after a meteoric rise to fame.
For Brandon Blackwood, there's no slowing down.
The designer, 31, has been on a nonstop rise to fame since his first explosive hit, the viral End Systemic Racism tote, launched in 2020. Spotted on celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Normani, the bag propelled Blackwood's eponymous brand to cult status almost immediately.
Since then, Blackwood has expanded his business to include outerwear and accessories, and he recently designed custom gowns for Serena Williams and Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph. In March, he launched his first shoe collection, a line of surreal and playful footwear, including pumps with a joint in the heel. And he's not letting up: The Brooklyn native is preparing for two collaborations in the coming year.
Blackwood is ready for whatever might come next — especially if it involves a bit of relaxation.
In a conversation with Insider for our ongoing series, Black Ensemble: Fashion for the Culture, Blackwood shared the inspiration behind his new shoe line; gave us a glimpse into his versatility and flexibility, both physically and in design; and expressed his eagerness to enter a soft life era.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Who is Brandon Blackwood? Where did you get your start?
I am an accessories, handbag, shoes, and outerwear designer. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I went to school here, then went to Bard College upstate to study neuroscience. I started interning at Nylon and Elle magazines, and the brand followed shortly after.
We saw some gymnastic moves in the studio today. Where did you get that flexibility from?
My mom put me in a course called "Gym Swim," which was an hour of gym and an hour of swimming every day for most of my childhood life. I don't practice, it just kind of stayed. And in these heels? It's kind of crazy.
Speaking of shoes, you had a shoe collection drop in March. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind that?
For me, honestly, it just felt like the obvious next step, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. Every pair represents a small demographic of my customers. It's the same with the bags: Everyone can find a bag that they like. With the shoes, I wanted to build off of that.
It's a really big first. It's an exciting first, and I'm ready.
I'm really interested in the "joint heel" and the "taxi heel." Where did you come up with those?
I thought it would be funny. Obviously, the taxis, it's New York. It's very Carrie Bradshaw; it's a New York icon. And for the joint heel, why not?
I was super picky with how the taxi would look. If you look hard enough, you can see we put a lot of detail into them — like my birthday is on the taxi.
The taxi and the joint heel took a year to make because there was so much trial and error. The actual heels themselves — the joint and the taxi — actually have to be made in a different factory in Italy. Then once they were all made, they were flown to Portugal and then made into the shoe. It's a labor of love for sure.
Is there anything in Black culture and Black history that inspires your designs?
It's always interesting being asked this question. I'm Black, I don't know anything except the Black experience. When I'm asked whether the Black experience has inspired me, I'm like, "What else can?"
Even if I were to say a collection was inspired by Morocco or something random, my day-to-day experience is always going to be somewhere within the design.
How do you feel about the luxury fashion industry's relationship with Black creatives now?
From the creative director of Ferragamo to Virgil Abloh to all the up-and-coming designers, I think there has been space made for us, but I think that's because we've been owning our industries and being more vocal about existing and wanting to grow.
Because I have given so much of my life to this business, I think there are a lot of things that I want that don't relate to business. I want to have llamas and shit upstate.
I think our communities are definitely rallying around this a lot more, and there are people now who want to seek out and support and shop Black. I think that has really helped for the spotlight to shine on Black designers. I think that's happening now, and fashion has to listen to what the majority wants. That's really cool because now we're seeing a lot of talent that may have been overlooked in the past.
In what ways have you seen Black fashion leaders, yourself or anyone else, innovating and moving the industry forward?
Black culture has innovated so much in fashion, but I think now we're just now getting recognized for it more. It's been the same; it's just that now we're being spotlighted.
From the bamboo earrings I do to the shoes to my bags, those are quintessential '90s Black moments. I think now we're getting to have our ownership of those things publicly. We're just now getting that recognition, but it's always been there.
What do you make of all this success? How has it felt to watch your brand take off and really carve out a name for yourself?
It doesn't feel real.
To this day, I'll be in my office, and I'll turn to whoever's closest to me and be like, "Can you believe it's fucking real?" I never thought I'd have, like, 16 people working for my brand. I used to do all my work from my laptop in my mom's dining room.
I'm just grateful. I don't want to be cocky about it, I just take it day by day.
What would you say is next for your career?
I have two major collaborations coming up next year that I'm really looking forward to and just expanding the brand even more.
The brand doesn't have investors. It's just me, and I think it's fucking cool to still be able to scale it and make profit. We're doing what we need to do.
Outside of that, I want to get more into real estate. I want to get a house upstate. Because I have given so much of my life to this business, I think there are a lot of things that I want that don't relate to business. I want to have llamas and shit upstate. I have three dogs; I want to hang out with them more. I read a book over the weekend, and I just want to do chill shit like that for a bit.
When you do have time to relax, what do you do?
I play with my dogs. I watch "Real Housewives" — Atlanta is iconic, but obviously I've been watching Miami because that's the hot topic right now. I love a cold glass of sauvignon blanc, and walking around my neighborhood.
What do you think the future of fashion will look like? And what do you think it should look like?
Because of social media, anyone that's talented and wants it enough can showcase their work and be found by strangers. That's kind of what happened for me. I didn't have to necessarily go through the normal fashion trajectory. I got to avoid a lot of the gatekeepers and negative things you see in the industry because I got my audience before I got my popularity.
I think that's how a lot of other brands are going to come up. Because of social media and technology and how we think, that archaic gatekeeping is slowly breaking down.
You recently worked with Serena Williams. Are you planning to style more celebrities?
You know, it's happening by accident. Serena Williams is an icon, and I did not think that it would happen. She hit us up, we did it, and she looked amazing. So, I'm not going to ever decline potential big moments. Whatever comes for us, we're ready for it.
Is there anyone you dream of styling?
I'm very, very happy now. But obviously, like anyone would say: Beyoncé or Rihanna. I just want to keep going.
What advice would you give to the next generation of fashion leaders?
Work hard. It looks so easy — and it does become a little easier once you get to a point where you can afford all this help — but it takes a lot of work.
People don't realize that I was 23 with maybe $15 in my bank account, walking to work every day, saving for the brand. It's so much sacrifice. I've lost so many friends, so many moments. I've missed out on so much stuff to make the brand happen. I don't regret it, but it's such a sacrifice, and I don't think people really understand how much shit you have to go through before it even begins to look relatively good.
You just have to stick with it, and you have to just be ready for it.
This feature is part of Black Ensemble, a series celebrating Black leaders, innovators, and trendsetters in the fashion industry.