In the world of fashion, they are many people out there that are trying tackle it, but Brandon Earl truly gets it.
As a men’s fashion designer for his namesake, Brandon Earl New York, he oversees the consultation, design and execution of beautiful men’s suits, blazers, pants and more.
Before launching Brandon Earl New York, he previously worked as a men’s fashion designer for Ralph Lauren.
LP: Tell us about your entry into fashion.
BE: My entry into fashion started after being selected into the 23-seat class of the Menswear Design Program at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York under the leadership of Professor Mark-Evan Blackman. It’s probably not the most PC thing to say, but we were thoroughly hazed. (laughs) Beyond the proverbial technical skills, the program curriculum taught me the value of time management and personally, the importance of music in my ear and how it has informed the mood and direction of my design style.
LP: What made you want to get into menswear?
BE: My decision to take on Formal Menswear as a career stemmed from the summer that I stealthily snuck into the Ralph Lauren Menswear Showroom where I was interning at the time. Behind those double sliding doors stood my future – the tallest, most presence-having, towering down bust forms (at Ralph we call them ‘rigs’) dressed like no man I had ever seen – dead or alive. Tuxedos with tails and velvet smoking jackets paired with grosgrain bowties and pique-bibbed dress shirts – I felt like a kid again.
LP: Where do you draw your inspiration?
BE: I typically draw my inspiration from my global travels, music, the 1920s, places that speak to hospitality such as vintage hotels and places that speak to mystery such as old speakeasies. I’m also very inspired by grandiose entryways and doors – these all inform my design style. Also, 18th century France and the construct of royal family lineage.
LP: How do your client’s usually find you?
BE: My Instagram – BrandonEarlNewYork – is where most of my clients find me. Word of mouth is really huge for my business as well.
LP: What makes your brand unique?
BE: My brand is unique in that I am able to pull from an old-world Western sensibility from my days at Ralph Lauren and blend it with my experiences as a young black millennial male. Its old world meets new world from a different lens. Its the new classic.
LP: What would you say to the high school student who is interested in getting into menswear?
BE: I recently went back to my Alma Mater, Laguna Creek High School, and spoke to the fashion program about exploring an interest in menswear. My advice to them was to learn the business of fashion. Having technical skill is great, but it’s equally important to learn how to monetize your passion.
LP: What’s your favorite brands (besides yours)?
BE: My favorite brands are Dior, Gucci, Thom Browne, Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton.
LP: What does a man’s style say about him as a person?
BE: A man’s style is actually the window to his soul. What a man wears on his back will inform you of the type of man he is. Style is a man’s wall. If the wall looks impenetrable, it probably is.
LP: Where do you think men’s fashion trends are moving?
BE: Man, I hate trends.
Let’s Get Personal
LP: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
BE: If I could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, it would be the great Paul Robeson. I was introduced to the work of Robeson through my good friend and brother, Y’lan Noel (of HBO’s Insecure), while we were studying at Morehouse together. After that introduction, I realized that there was indeed a man, who looked like me, who during the darkest period of American history, overcame and triumphed by way of his limitless talents and ability to succeed when every single odd was against him. A true American hero.
LP: Who is your favorite music artist?
BE: My favorite music artist(s) – because music informs so much of who I am and how I create- are Pharrell Williams, the late Aaliyah and Raphael Saadiq.
LP: What is your favorite restaurant?
BE: My favorite restaurant would have to be The Polo Bar in New York City.
LP: What is your favorite bar?
BE: My favorite ‘bars’ today would be courtesy of old Kanye West
“She don’t believe in shootin’ stars
But she believe in shoes and cars
Wood floors in the new apartment
Couture from the store’s department
I’m more of the trips to Florida
Order the h’orderves, views of the Water
Straight from the page of your favorite author”
LP: Online shopping or in-person?
BE: Absolutely in-person shopping. There is nothing like a well-done in-store experience that allows a shopper a certain access into the world of a designer. That in-store experience sets the tone of the brand – which cannot be achieved elsewhere.
LP: What do you think makes a brand luxury?
BE: For me, a luxury brand instills a sort of mystery that everyone wants to be in on. It’s like a fraternity, you’re either in or your out – and if you’re out, you will do whatever it takes to be in. Luxury brands understand that (hence offering accessories at a more affordable, yet still elevated price-point). If you want to be a part of that “fraternity”, you’ll take what you can get (or afford) to say that you belong. Luxury is about a sense of belonging.
To learn more about Brandon, visit his website and his Instagram page @BrandonEarlNewYork.
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