The crusible OF Cool
With a FRESH breed of YOUNG designers taking over the scene, NEW YORK is reclaiming its place in the fashion universe, and with style, writes Akshita Phoolka
If you ever find yourself mapping out a journey to the centre of cool, then New York would undisputedly be the final destination on your quest. The Mecca of all that’s new, abuzz, and seriously hip, this island on the East coast of America has given the world its fair share of inspiration. Long celebrated as the melting pot of innumerable cultures and home to the world’s biggest businesses, the city is filled with passionate people who are all on top of their games. And some of these people have caught our undivided attention with their work in fashion. Case in point, New York’s newest breed of designers: Alexander Wang, Jason Wu,thakoon Panichgul, Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Proenza Schouler’s Jack Mccollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Phillip Lim, and Joseph Altuzarra.
Driving fashion trends, these bratty recruits have proved their mettle season after season, giving us something truly individualistic and pathbreaking to enjoy. Anyone taking a walk down the city’s stylish hubs would notice how wearable and affordable these designers really are, with chic dressers sure to be spotted walkingaroundinclassicwangbooties,toting a Proenza Schouler PS 11 bag, covered up under a classic Phillip Lim jacket, or simply hanging around in a floral Wu dress. What’s more, they are all children of the 2000s, have launched their labels just two-three years apart from one another, and have achieved unprecedented success and fame in an even shorter span of time (in fashion terms, anyway). And they all hail from the city that never sleeps.
The poster boy for this radical movementof-sorts is none other than the fashion revolutionary, Alexander Wang. Best known for his wonderfully languid knits, the easy street attitude that underscores his collections (and perhaps, most famously, his ongoing muse, the tough, street-girl), Wang is truly New York’s wonder boy. At 27—in a short span of six years in the industry, after his womenswear debut back in the spring of 2007—Wang has literally transformed the
definition of 21st century sexy to off-dutyjust-rolled-out-of-bed chic. Following close onwang’s heels, is fashion prodigy Jasonwu; heading a $5 million business empire at 25 is no easy feat. We love Wu for his lady-like, polished jackets, floral prints, nipped waists, and tea-cup skirts. Which is exactly why America’s first lady Michelle Obama chose him as the go-to guy for president Barack Obama’s inauguration ball in 2009. Becoming an instant fashion darling since dressing her, Wu has fast made his way up the creative A-list, each year adding to his accomplishments. And speaking of those, Proenza Schouler’s Jack Mccollough and Lazaro Hernandez have a long list of their own. For one, there isn’t a name in Hollywood’s trendy line-up they haven’t dressed. From Scarlett Johansson to Kate Bosworth, Katie Holmes, Nicole Kidman, and Liv Tyler seen on the red carpets, the girls they dress are inherently laid-back gypsies with a penchant for the quirky. Best known for their textile innovations and über-cool accessories, the duo have done much to invigorate American fashion.
So cool is the never-ending list of fashionable wunderkinds to have come out of the city that Joseph Altuzarra, the newest recruit (and not even in his third year yet), just recently won the CFDA/ Voguee fund. Moreover,, for his Spring/ Summer12 collection, his grungeinfluenced outerwear line-ups were such a big hit in the stores that the utility jackets sold out on net-a-porter.com the day they became available. Similar success stories can be seen at Rodarte, where sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy display a knack for creating couture-esque dresses (see their debut collection snapped up by over 30 stores worldwide). Add to this stylish mix Phillip Lim’s city-slick minimalism and Thakoon Panichgul’s classic feminism, and you have yourself a brigade of fresh young designers driving fashion trends forward in a way New York has never seen before.
So what is it about New York that has allowed such young talent to enjoy such burgeoning success? One could credit their success to their smart business acumen, coupled with strategicpartnershipswith high-street giants, the introduction of men’s and accessory lines, and bringing out lower-priced labels, ensuring that they reach a wider market. Their business manoeuvres aside, it seems their age has never been an impediment to their success—and for a bunch of young designers, heading their own labels, not backed by well-established Parisian or Milanese houses, their fashion feats are worthy of attention. What is unique about all these designers is their strong sense of individualism. Established houses tend to be too commercialised—too thought out. In small ateliers, on the other hand, the person who often cuts the pattern and stitches the sample is usually the designer himself. If this crew goes the way they are, then they are certainly headed in the right direction.
Much also has to do with the effervescent nature of the city itself. A living, breathing entity unto itself, New York has always been ahead of its time. “The city supports and cherishes the new and believes in creating a sense of future in the industry… also, there is an insatiable demand from New Yorkers, collaborativeretailers, andmanufacturerswho embrace this new talent, creating an exciting climate for fashion,” says Fern Mallis, ex-director of IMG Worldwide.
Fashion has always been an integral part of the Big Apple, and of late, with growing publicity around the industry, with the rise ofinnumerableblogslikestylerookie,fashion Toast, The Cut, e-commerce sites, entertainment press, and media, everyone seems to want to become a fashion designer. Think New York-boutique Opening Ceremony founders, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, who are now the creative heads at the French house, Kenzo.
But nothing sums up New York’s hunger for the new more succinctly than the hit TV show Project Runway. In its over-ten years on air, it has opened up theplayingfieldlikenothingelse.much like what the CFDA has done to recognise and award emerging talent, and offer upcoming designers strategic business opportunities. Moreover, NYFW has always promoted smaller venues to accommodate new designers and give them a platform to showcase their works in the same space as the leading bastions of American fashion. And that’s exactly where they belong.