Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
The fashion industry’s new generation of superstar designers
THERE’S an entirely new generation of people who are taking the fashion industry by storm. From the brains behind big-name labels like Oscar de la Renta to up-and-comers who are forging their own paths, these are the designers you will want to keep an eye out for in 2022.
Kenneth Ize
Kenneth Ize won the designer of the year award at Arise, an African fashion extravaganza with one of the continent’s most opulent runways, in 2020. The designer, who was born and raised in Lagos, began his career at Vienna’s University of Applied Arts. He debuted his line during the Lagos Fashion Week in 2013.
Ize, 31, has developed and operated a business in his home country, where his work benefits local weavers and their community. He believes that by putting a modern spin on traditional fabric-making methods, his work can help to resurrect a once-thriving industry in Nigerian culture. This is a standout part of his clothing line that focuses on reinterpreting elements of Nigerian workmanship to provide a unique take on the making of premium textiles and apparel.
His designs feature exquisitely crafted clothes, each sewn with brilliant skill, a rainbow colour palette and a mishmash of materials and patterns that are becoming the trademark of his craftsmanship.
His breakthrough came in February 2020, when his work appeared on the Paris runway. His show drew worldwide attention – after all, an appearance by Naomi Campbell is enough to make any young designer famous. In the past year, during the lockdowns, Ize worked on a capsule collaboration with the Karl Lagerfeld label, a first for the firm after the iconic founder’s death.
Thebe Magugu
Thebe Magugu, 27, is a luxury South African fashion label that specialises in ready-to-wear designs. Through diverse capsule collections, the clothing company explores parallel notions. Magugu, the creator, discovered his passion as a youngster. The 2019 LVMH Prize winner grew up in Kimberley, spending his days in front of the television, enthralled by the fashion displays that were broadcast.
His work mirrors his primary inspiration: his community and home. From the stiff, collared blue shirts worn by schoolchildren to fabrics reproduced from recollections of his grandmother’s tablecloth, his streamlined designs are filled with themes and details that borrow from Africa’s rich and fabled history. His Spring 2022 collection explored the politics of South Africa. In a video titled Thebe Magugu SS22 – Genealogy, he is shown looking through a box of family photos with his mother Iris and aunt Esther for his spring collection.
Supriya Lele
Supriya Lele, 33, is an Indian-British fashion designer who launched her own label in 2016. Lele was a contender for the LVMH Prize 2020, and when the final round of the competition was cancelled owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, she split the hefty cash prize with the other seven finalists, including South Africa’s Sindiso Khumalo.
Her designs have been plastered in big-name publications. On her website, it is evident that her muses are closely linked to the female figure as well as her relationship between her British and Indian cultural origin.
Her Spring 2022 ready-to-wear collection features ruched bras and cropped blouses mimicking those worn with saris as well as pyjama-style pants similar to that of a punjabi.
The materials are refreshingly different to what we’ve seen in mainstream fashion as the designer incorporates her heritage as well as new trends into her style.
Laura Kim & Fernando Garcia
Garcia studied architecture at Notre Dame and then moved to New York to intern at Oscar de la Renta after graduation. Within six years, he had risen through the ranks to the role of senior designer. Kim earned a BFA from Pratt Institute in 2004 and began working at the New York-based firm in 2003, eventually advancing to the status of design director.
The duo dedicated a combined 18 years of their careers to the label before branching off and to start one of their own called Monse. However, in 2016, they returned to fulfil the role of their former mentor, Oscar, two years after his death. In the past year, they’ve worked with stars like Billie Eilish for her 2021 Met Gala look, creating a Marilyn Monroe moment of her own on the red carpet. Their Autumn 2021 and Spring 2022 collections remain true to their iconic use of florals, colour and whimsical silhouettes.
Glenn Martens
From Bruges, Belgium, Glenn Martens is creative director for Y/Project and Diesel. He is fresh off a triumphant run as the guest couturier at Jean Paul Gaultier, showing one of the most jaw-droppingly fabulous collections at the Paris Haute Couture Week.
Having stumbled into the industry by accident, it’s fascinating that someone with initially only a degree in interior architecture has managed to land themselves in such an influential position where they are able to pioneer the streetwear revolution in Paris. In just over a decade, Y/Project has grown to become one of Paris Fashion Week’s most anticipated shows.