Brandon Blackwood Celebrated His First-Ever CFDA Awards with His First-Ever Couture Purchase
When it came to attending his first-ever CFDA Awards, Brandon Blackwood went all out. And for good reason: The designer was nominated for American Accessory Designer of the Year, a feat well-deserved after achieving great success with his powerful and succinct “End Systemic Racism” canvas totes. Since the bag’s initial release in 2020, which arrived amid swelling protests against racial injustice, it has been heavily Instagram’ed, snapped, and worn by style mavens such as Kim Kardashian. Blackwood has found similar success with his trending trunk bags, which frequently sell out and come in everything from a neutral brown canvas to a cow print pony hair. For Blackwood, the night felt like a culmination of hard work, savvy marketing, and powerful design work.
To really make things special, Blackwood turned to Italian luxury house Schiaparelli for his first ever piece of couture (there were a lot of firsts last night). The garment: A black blazer featuring three-dimension flowers along the breast line, deftly mixing together traditional masculine and feminine codes. “I went to Paris for fashion week and went shopping at Schiaparelli and absolutely fell in love with the staff,” Blackwood says of how the showstopping look came together. “Three days later I was invited to the couture show. I saw a piece that was originally womenswear and knew I had to have it. So I asked the team to create a menswear version and they said yes. Four months, four fittings—the final fitting we flew their team into New York for—and the look was complete. This was a special moment for me as this was the first men’s couture piece they'd ever made.”
Blackwood kicked off the night with 25 bottles of Armand de Brignac champagne and a hotel room full of his valued team members, friends, and his nail artist, Melissa Samuel (AKA @finesseyourclaws). Then it was time for the ceremony, where plenty of people carried a Blackwood bag, including models Anok Yai and Ashley Graham, model and activist Bethann Hardison, and Jacques Agbobly of BlackBoyKnits. Once the ceremony ended, Blackwood headed back to the hotel, where close friends and family were waiting to continue the celebrations long into the night.
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras1/14“Arriving to the CFDA awards with my VP Imani Simmons and stylist Roberto Johnson. You can’t tell from my face I wasn’t expecting so many people, haha.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras2/14“My dates for the evening, my VP Imani Simmons and Stylist/Editor Roberto Johnson. Both wearing custom BBNYC bags."
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras3/14“Final shots before heading out. It was my first time taking photos in my Schiaparelli outfit. Felt like a dream.”
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras4/14“The only MUA I trust to do my face is Juan Jaar. His editorial and commercial work is insane and he always makes me feel cute. He also give me the BEST skincare and make up tips.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras5/14“Leaving for the awards! These pins were actually a gift from the house. They had taken a pair of couture runway earrings and turned them into pins for me. Last minute I jokingly placed them on the back of the blazer and my team loved it."
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras6/14“Literally my fav champagne Armand de Beignac sent me 24 bottles as a congratulation gift. It only made sense to invite my closest friends back to the suite and indulge with some Jamaican food and wings. Gala food never hits the same.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras7/14“My first couture piece. After attending the Schiaparelli couture show I saw this piece on the runway and immediately told them my idea to make it into a suit. Four fittings later [and] it was done. I actually flew out their team for the final fitting and flower placement to make sure everything was perfect. The flowers are all hand-beaded and painted. It’s probably the most important piece I own and also my first couture purchase.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras8/14“Me barely attempting to keep my cool before heading to the carpet. It’ll never feel normal to hear photographers scream your name. It was low-key such a glam moment though.”
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras9/14“Awards done, Glorilla blasting, and me rapping along to her song “FNF.” A few gin-and-tonics and being surrounded by so many icons… this moment was my release for the night. I had so much fun and knew I had a whole suite of my closest friends waiting for me to arrive.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras10/14“The one and only Melissa, also known as @Finesseyourclaws on IG. She has been doing my nails for two years now and is so inspiring. She does all her nail art by hand and our sessions are always 2+ hours because we talk about everything. Nails and a therapy session wrapped in one. She told me she could tell that I was nervous by my hands.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras11/14“My outfit waiting to be unboxed while laying out all the bag options for the night. Being a Libra and one of the most indecisive people in the world, I always have at least three backups for any occasion.”
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras12/14“Quick skincare appreciation pic.”
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Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras13/14“I started the morning with a hydro facial from Luxurgery. This is the best way to brighten, tone, and get a deep cleanse. I always do them here before any big event. Dr. Sachin Shridharani is a genius and the only person allowed to touch my face. Him and his team always take care of me and I’ve been going to him for years. He’s an Upper East Side legend and am completely loyal to his team.”
Photo by Isobel Rae courtesy of Ojeras14/14“You can clearly see I was feeling myself. Couture, sunset, and a good beat will always make me happy.”
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