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One of Blackwood\u2019s nonnegotiables was a spiral staircase. Seen from the entry, its curves frame a tall rubber tree from BlackBoyPlants<\/a> and an antique mask from Benin, Nigeria.<\/p>\n Brandon Blackwood in front of the Matheus Abu<\/a> painting in his entry.<\/p>\n When Blackwood went viral in 2020 for a mini tote bag emblazoned with the words \u201cEnd Systemic Racism,\u201d much of the fashion world thought he\u2019d appeared out of nowhere. \u201cWhen I blew up I had been in business for five years already,\u201d says Blackwood. The young designer had been quietly and intentionally building his fashion brand since his mid-20s. \u201cThis was my first real job,\u201d Blackwood says about designing. \u201cBefore this I was a cashier at Crossroads.\u201d He studied neuroscience at Bard College before fashion became his primary academic and professional interest. Unbeknownst to his mother, Jamaican-born Carleen Haughton, a self-made contractor and former restaurateur, Blackwood had been spending his free time, weekends, and summers working for fashion brands and magazines. Haughton challenged her son to give fashion his all.<\/p>\n That same encouragement carried over to the design of Blackwood\u2019s home, too, where Haughton acted as the contractor. Working with Urban Pioneering Architecture<\/a>, Haughton corralled an all-Caribbean team of craftsmen and builders to renovate the four-story town house. \u201cThey are all so proud of me because they\u2019ve known me since I was 13,\u201d says Blackwood. \u201cThis house was built by people who really love me.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/20260526_CA_AD_BB_HR-01.jpg\"\/)
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