WOMENSWEAR LABELS TO WATCH

LABELS TO WATCH

BRANDS

CALVIN LUO

After studying at Parsons, the Shanghai-based designer Calvin Luo launched his womenswear and, later, menswear line, before co-founding the fashion and art magazine ‘Rouge Fashion Book’. He presented his early collections in New York, which probed themes of mid-century Americana, ‘90s suburbia and other subcultures. These nostalgic explorations involve rethinking traditional forms, and result in exaggerated sizes, strong cuts and bold graphics that are wearable yet interesting and edgy. Luo extended this historicism and storytelling to his Paris Fashion Week debut in September 2019, situating the figure of the ‘Parisienne’ – the elegant Parisian woman – spatially and historically in 1940s/50s rue Royale, 1960s/70s Montmartre and 1980s/90s Boulevard des Capucines. He is represented by TUBE and sold by Tmall and Net-aPorter (online), 10 Corso Como (New York), Please Do Not Enter (LA), Société Anonyme (Florence), Dantone (Milan), SN3 (Antwerp), and multiple Chinese retailers such as Harvey Nichols (Hong Kong), Galeries Lafayette (Shanghai), Play Serious (Shenzhen) and Market Liberty (Beijing). www.calvinluo.us

ROBERTA EINER

Estonian-born, London-based designer Roberta Einer interned with some iconic houses before graduating from Central Saint Martins. This experience is reflected in her design approach today: the immaculate tailoring craft she learned at Alexander McQueen meets the embroidery and sumptuous embellishment techniques she picked up at Balmain, and the vivid kaleidoscope of colors and prints that is so characteristic of her work is an homage to her days at Mary Katrantzou. Einer’s experimental luxury collections focus on remarkable textiles, perfect cuts and her signature embroideries, evoking a bold more-is-more attitude. The designer sources her linen and denim from mills in Scotland, and knitwear and tie-dye fabrics from Italy, while her vintage granny-style knits come from Estonia and her embroideries are done in India. However, her collections are made in London. Roberta Einer now has a worldwide distribution in stores including Saks Fifth Avenue (US), I.T (Hong Kong), Hanstyle and Tom Greyhound (Korea), Banner (Italy), amongst others, and is represented by LONDON show ROOMS. www.robertaeiner.com

AKANE UTSUNOMIYA

Tokyo-based brand Akane Utsunomiya is the brainchild of Akane Hasui, who majored in knitwear at Central Saint Martins College of Art. Founded in 2009, until recently its collections were only distributed in Japan. With a strong knitwear focus, the label uses Italian yarns and combines a passion for quality with a penchant for playfulness. In 2019, Akane Utsunomiya collaborated with Fred Perry on a collection that reimagined sportswear classics while playing with pattern, print and proportion. The A/W 20 collection is inspired by classic cars seen by the designer on her visit to London; metallic colors meet somewhat industrial textures, and classic wools such as angora are reimagined in unconventional ways. The brand already retails at dozens of key Japanese stores, including Ginza Mitsukoshi, Beams and others. From the next season onwards, Akane Utsunomiya’s designs will be seen across the world: the brand has just started showing in Paris, aiming to expand its distribution worldwide. www.akane-utsunomiya.com