Medieval Times: Designer Braedy Luxenburg Talks Heritage, Tokyo and Industry Challenges
History, heritage and gender fluid designs make up the DNA of up-and-coming designer Braedy Luxenburg’s eponymous brand.
The 23-year-old New York City-based designer stepped on to the scene last year when he presented a Middle Ages-inspired Spring/Summer 2024 collection of pieces adorned with knight and flag motifs.
More from Sourcing Journal
EDITED's Latest Report Looks Into the Future of Sustainability
Dampened Denim Sales Call for Diversification and Innovation
“Everything I create stems from the origin of my last name, Luxenburg—also known as Luxenburger—meaning a person hailing from Luxembourg, on the edge of Germany,” he told Rivet. “So, I took inspiration from my last name and ran with it because I’ve always been fascinated by medieval history. I wanted to incorporate medieval motifs, imagery and history into my brand and collections, [imbued] with a modern-day sensibility.”
Details like castle motifs, chains and leather help carry the medieval story into his Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection, which balances staples like T-shirts and hoodies with a dark-wash denim tuxedo and a silver satin skirt digitally printed with jeans.
The collection has been picked up by Bungee Space in New York City and the Community Center Tokyo Branch in Japan, which will begin selling it in August.
Though his inspiration is ancient, Luxenburg’s focus on gender fluid design is forward thinking.
Kayla Marci, senior fashion and retail analyst at Edited, said gender fluid design it is becoming more common in the fashion industry. The number of products available online in the U.S. and UK that are marketed as “genderless,” “gender-fluid” and “unisex” is up 45 percent vs. 2022.
Luxenburg, who interned at Prada and Michael Kors, discovered his love for fashion during his senior year of high school when he attended a sewing class at the local Joann Fabrics. However, it wasn’t until his time at Kent State University in Ohio that his passion and talent truly blossomed.
“From a young age, I was always interested in fashion and design, but I had a very basic knowledge of the industry,” Luxenburg said. “So, when I started at Kent State, they helped provide the technical skills needed, such as dealing with factories and the trials and tribulations of owning a brand.”
Setting sights on tomorrow
Luxenburg is turning his dreams into reality, especially in Tokyo where he is working with Jettson showroom to target speciality boutiques.
The positive response to his debut collection—jeans were a bestseller—motivates Luxenburg to work on expanding his brand’s presence in Tokyo and other parts of Asia. He also aspires to make a bigger impact on the U.S. market in the coming years, particularly in New York City.
“Unfortunately, there’s a bit of pretentiousness when trying to enter the U.S. market for newer brands, especially in the digital age. Back in the day, if you had a great product and you went into a boutique and they liked it, they’d say ‘Oh, yeah. We should put this guy on,’” Luxenburg said.
“Now, it’s all about referrals, who you know and how many followers you have on social media. That said, I’m looking to target a few smaller boutiques in New York and maybe Los Angeles to help grow my presence here. However, I’d love for my product to eventually be in department stores like Bergdorf Goodman,” he said.
While Luxenburg’s first collections drew inspiration from history, the designer said he plans to expand his horizons going forward.
“The first two collections were about establishing the brand and showcasing what we have to offer,” he said. “I’m excited to delve into the [2025 collections], where I plan to expand the color palette and build on the foundation of the first seasons,” Luxenburg said.
“As I look toward the future, I’m quite optimistic about what’s to come,” he said. “Ideally, I’d love to be featured on some fashion calendar, whether that’s New York, Milan or Paris. Stay tuned for more.”
