Brandon Blackwood Receives NAACP New York State Conference Design & Distinction Award at 90th Anniversary Gala

In a year that included a mayoral appointment, Designer of the Year at Harlem’s Fashion Row and a landmark collaboration, Brandon Blackwood closed out 2026 exactly where he belongs — on a stage that honors the people building something that matters.

In the Chinese zodiac this may be the year of the horse. But here at Gaye, we are calling it something else entirely. This is the year of Brandon Blackwood — and let us tell you why.

Blackwood made his mark in July 2020 at the height of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement when he released his “End Systemic Racism” bag. It was more than a product launch. It was a statement — in the fashion sense and the political one. A bag that turned an industry into a conversation and a conversation into a movement.

But if you thought that was his moment, you have not been paying attention. Brandon Blackwood is far more than a one-hit wonder — and 2026 has been his year to prove it.

In May, he collaborated with Olandria Carteen — easily one of the most influential voices of the year — releasing the BB x Olandria collection. That same month, he dressed both artist Tschabalala Self and NFL star Russell Wilson for the 2026 Met Gala — two custom looks that put his name on one of fashion’s biggest nights of the year.

Then in August, Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Blackwood to his inaugural Business Advisory Council, recognizing him not just as a designer but as a voice for New York’s creative economy. Less than a month later, on Sept. 8, he was honored as Designer of the Year at Harlem’s Fashion Row — one of fashion’s most culturally significant stages for Black designers.

And the recognition keeps coming. On Oct. 9, the NAACP New York State Conference honored Blackwood with the Design and Distinction Award at the Generations of Justice Gala. The award recognizes Blackwood’s contributions to fashion and culture through his Brooklyn-based handbag and accessories brand, Brandon Blackwood New York.

The gala marks  the NAACP New York State Conference’s 90th anniversary, bringing together leaders across business, labor, arts and civic life to celebrate generations of justice and advocacy.

Joining Blackwood on the honoree stage will be Andrew L. Davis, MBA, President and CEO of Erie County Medical Center, receiving the Health and Humanity Award for more than two decades of healthcare leadership; Lamar Richardson, Tony Award-winning producer and co-founder of Ivy Lion Productions, receiving the Stage and Story Award; and Candis Tall, Executive Vice President of 32BJ SEIU, receiving the Labor and Legacy Award for over a decade of organizing and championing landmark worker protections across 11 states.

The Generations of Justice Gala also featured a “Generations of Style” lounge — an elevated space honoring the role that fashion has always played in the movement, from civil rights marches to red carpets. The lounge hosted by Bevy Smith and supported by Macy’s. Because as we know our style has always been a symbol of dignity, resilience and power.

Blackwood founded Brandon Blackwood New York in 2015 after friends kept asking where to buy a backpack he had designed for himself. A first-generation American of Jamaican and Chinese descent, born and raised in Brooklyn.  His work has since been featured in Vogue, the New York Times and Forbes, and earned him a CFDA Award nomination for Best Accessory Designer as the brand expanded into eyewear, outerwear and footwear.