Bright futures
EMERGING DESIGNERS SEIZE THE SPOTLIGHT
While the established heavyweights and major design houses of the fashion world are busy changing their creative directors and altering how long it takes to release collections after showing them, something interesting is happening: Scads of new, up-and-coming designers are getting a shot at the limelight. That shift in who's getting the lion's share of buzz (at the fashion shows as well as in magazine editorials) means the rest of us get a first-hand look as emerging designers come into their own. Here are some of the hottest prospects to look for this year. Korean-born, London-based Rejina Pyo is a force to be reckoned with, what with her elegant tailoring, color blocked coats, bold prints, streamlined shapes and big pops of color. Before starting her own label, she worked under Roksanda Ilincic and graduated from Central Saint Martins. Look for her covetable pieces on street-style goddesses such as Kate Foley and Martha Ward. Chances are you haven't heard of Molly Goddard much yet, but you will. After capturing the British Emerging Talent title at the Fashion Awards, fashion lovers started swooning over her crafty, romantic, tulle cocktail and evening dresses.
Mira Mikati has made a big mark with her emoji-inspired clothing line. A Lebanese designer working out of London, she trades in fun and high-energy, pop art-like pants, dresses, oversized shirts and blouses.
Score one for the continued evolution of street wear, in part thanks to the Mancunian designer Amie Victoria Robertson. With relaxed pieces laden with iridescent embroidery and other details, Robertson's collections veer from fun and quirky to downright luxurious. She came up under Marc Jacobs and was chosen for Fashion East, his mentorship program.
Attico (which means penthouse) was launched by Italian fashion and street-style gurus Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio. Their spin on what's being called “boudoir chic” amounts to pretty slip dresses, silken robes and velvet eveningwear. Fans love to wear it all during the daytime, too — dressed down with leather and denim.
Innovative and finely tailored, Jacquemus has already, even in its infant stages, garnered fans such as Solange Knowles and Rihanna. Get ready to become one yourself for its reasonably priced funky cuts, asymmetrical striped tops, jumpsuits and minidresses.
Alice Archer, another Brit, studied at Goldsmiths and Central Saint Martins and then worked as a designer for Dries van Noten and Tracey Emin before starting up her own embroidery-centric line of artistic clothes.
The gorgeous pieces are owned and beloved by big fashion names such as Suzy Menkes and Pandora Sykes, and are already sold at Barneys.