COUTURE HAUTE

WWITH THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO SEE BEYOND the obvious and draw inspiration from everyday life, fashion and beauty powerhouse Max Brava is making our world brighter—and not just for the A-list celebrities and royalty clients he’s worked with, but also for the countless youth he has mentored and the LGBTQ+ couples he’s fi ghting to help keep together. As the son of an aviation industry executive, his family lived in many diff erent places throughout his childhood both here in the United States and abroad. His father’s many travels fascinated him as a young boy and exposed him to the knowledge that there is so much out in the world to explore. “My father travelled all over the world and would return home with tales of the amazing people he had met and befriended. Tales of their cultures, cuisines, music, art and design. He would also bring home the latest fashion magazines from France, Italy and the United Kingdom,” Brava said, all of which was the perfect motivation for someone just waiting to spread their wings and fl y. He was born in a small town in northeast Pennsylvania, in love with theatre and wanted to get involved in every facet of that world, including stage and costume design, makeup and wig styling. “Somehow, I always knew that I would pursue a career in an industry that enabled me to do two things,” Brava explained, “a career that was creative and offered me the opportunity to express my creativity and a career that enabled me the opportunity to help infl uence and change people’s lives for the better.” He ended up fi nding that in the world of “image styling and enhancement.” He began his career in Washington, D.C., working for ABC television. Brava moved to Brussels, Belgium, where he spent a year working with local agencies, photographers and models. He soon began working as an independent consultant for major fashion and beauty brands based in Paris, France, including Dior. Some of his clients have included members of royalty, such as Queen Noor of Jordan, Princess Isabella of Belgium and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. “I feel that I have been so fortunate in my career. I have worked with A-list celebrities, super models, the greatest photographers, designers and more,” Brava refl ected. Yet, what he considers to be his greatest professional achievement are the lives he’s touched along the way, the real connections made with others and having the ability to help reignite the light for those who have temporarily lost it. “There are so many stories along the way, that have touched me on a very deep and profound level. I have worked with women and men from all walks of life, from working class to royalty,” he said, but “the common denominator is the humanity, vulnerability and fragile nature of each and every one of us. From the battered and abused women that have found comfort and solace in my ‘chair’ gaining the knowlthat serendipitously was also the birthplace of actress Sha- edge that there is always a ‘better tomorrow,’ to the queens ron Stone who would later become a client of his. Yet, he and princesses that are under constant scrutiny, all are just didn’t know immediately what his future held. After attend- as vulnerable and fragile.” ing university for Communications in Tennessee, he fur- Brava went on to live in Paris, France, for fi ve years where thered his education at Parsons School of Design/The New he worked in product development, as well as the internaSchool in New York City. During those school years, he fell tional representative for Yves Saint Laurent beauty brand. He traveled the world doing live

FROM JOURNALISM TO STYLING TO ACTIVISM, FASHION STYLIST MAX BRAVA CREATES EXPERIENCES FOR EVERYONE THAT ARE AS VISIONARY AND OF HIGH-QUALITY AS HIS STYLINGS ON THE RUNWAY.

BY SARA GIZA

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MAX BRAVA

events, working with private clients and doing seminars for the brand. As with everything in his life, the move to Europe was motivated by love. “During a European vacation, I fell madly in love with a Frenchman who was from Normandy and he was the impetus for me relocating to Europe. I packed a suitcase with the thought that I would just go and spend a two-week vacation with him, but soon realized I could not possibly leave,” he recalled.

As a young adult, when he began working with models and photographers from fashion meccas around the world, he learned about the

“hoops they had to jump through” to get proper visas and clearance to travel from country to country. Yet, he never anticipated that immigration struggles would be a fi ght he would have to face himself. Brava was able to stay “under the radar,” in Europe for years, but was also under constant stress and worry about being deported. “The only saving grace,” he said, “was the fact that those of us in the fashion and beauty world are known to travel abroad frequently and most authorities are keen to that.” Ultimately, he was forced to return to the States and relocated to southeast Florida where he currently resides, after spending many years in New York City.

“At that point in my life, I had zero intentions of meeting and falling in love with anyone. The heartache of having to leave my fi rst great love behind, was almost too much to bear,” Brava said. It was the early 2000’s and he could “never accept the fact that the laws back then were so archaic and would not allow for two people of the same gender to be legally wed and allowed to sponsor their partner for immigration status.” He was living in south Florida, not looking for love but it found him anyway. “I met a brilliant man from the Philippines who worked in the cruise ship industry. We just hit it off right away and would have wonderful conversations, him being a graduate of economics from the prestigious De La Salle University in Manila, with a shared love of world cultures.” Suddenly, he was right back where he had been all those years ago. Wondering how they could be together legally, he scrambled “to fi nd out everything within our power to fi nd a way to make it happen.” His quest to make it happen for them, would end up helping so many other couples too.

It was 2002 and at the time he didn’t realize how steep that mountain would be. “I soon learned that there were thousands of couples just like us, who were going through the same stress and anxiety. So, being the perpetual activist and advocate that I am, I began compiling a database of resources, that included organiza-

TOP: Backstage at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in SoBe.

LEFT: Max with models.

RIGHT: Max styled the covers for American Photo and Tatler Magazines.

tions, like minded individuals, international advocacy groups, attorneys and politicians, to help formulate a path towards equality,” Brava said. He began holding “meet and greets,” so couples dealing with same dilemma could fi nd solidarity, but many were reluctant to come out of hiding. A Pride event in Wilton Manors was a turning point for getting the local LGBTQ+ community involved. Brava boldly took to the stage to speak and showed posters of couples that had been “torn apart,” do to laws such as D.O.M.A. and the absence of marriage equality.

According to Brava, a few key organizations have been instrumental over the years,

including but not limited to UNHCR, UC/CU, Immigration Equality and a few compassionate United States congressmen and women. “One of the major issues I have found myself consumed by,” Brava said, “it that of the safety of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters around the world. Particularly, in countries where simply being gay can lead one to be beaten, abused, tortured, imprisoned and even executed. It’s still illegal to be LGBTQ+ in 70 countries and you could get the death penalty in 12.” To date, they have rescued and helped hundreds of the most vulnerable couples escape dangerous locations and fi nd safe havens in places like the USA, Canada and the Netherlands. “Things are not easy for any of those we try to help under normal

TOP: Max Brava with Queen Noor.

LEFT: Max Brava with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 23 rd District) at an LGBTQ Rights event.

RIGHT: Princess Marie Chantal of Greece.

circumstances, but have become more diffi cult under the current administration and the global pandemic. However, we are steadfast in our mission to help as many as we can, no matter where they are,” he said.

Having had such a fabulous career fi lled with exciting adventures, one might expect Brava to be most proud of things such as spending time enhancing the beauty of royalty. While he undoubtedly is proud of his career achievements, what he is most proud of is the countless lives he’s taught and mentored along the way. “My students at the Parsons School of Design, many of whom have gone on to achieve great success in their own right in the industry,” he said, but “the most precious of all, are the youth I have mentored over the years at SOS Children’s Village that are orphans and foster children. These children have given me the greatest source of love, light and pride.”

Brava has been surrounded by a lot of different kinds of beauty throughout his life. One has to wonder what inspires him. When asked, he replied that fi nding the beauty that is hiding “among the rubble,” that many people miss and being able to draw out that which is special, has been “fuel” to his fi re. “I continue to marvel at all the beauty the world has to off er. I fi nd inspiration in nature, in the rich hand dyed textiles of the far east, the exotic treasures of middle eastern cultures, the sultry and fresh vibes of Caribbean and South American culture, and the vibrant and exhilarating hues of the oceans and blue skies.” He loves to see bright colors and metallic “pop”, contrasts and complimentary colors, shapes and textures. “The high and low of design is always an exciting tango to dance to, in my world,” he said.

Growing up the way he did, he learned early on how to adapt to new things and it birthed in him an open heart and an open mind. It has served him well on his journey to soak up as much as he can. “The world is so bountiful and has so much to off er, from indigenous and tribal music, dance, culinary delights to artisanal craftsmanship, the list goes on,” he said. “I have a hunger and thirst for all of it. The saddest thing to me, are those who only see the world in bland shades of beige. The ones who just accept that empty, beige box and lack the imagination to see what it could become. I want to laugh, dance, sing, design and love until my fi nal breath.”

“Most of all, I want to know that we all have the same rights and opportunities to live life to the fullest.”