THE NEW CLASS
The European collections have always served as a prime launching ground for new talent. This season, while there were fewer launches overall, there were some notable standouts.
Hot on the heels of the August debut of her eponymous brand, Amina Muaddi showed her second collection to buyers. A number of key names saluted her as the launch of the season.
“Amina’s collection is a reflection of her — beautiful and bold,” said Oliveros. “By playing with silhouettes, heels and vibrant colors, she definitely stands out.”
The retail executive also called out Midnight 00 as the brand “everybody is talking about.”
“Ada Kokosar’s use of PVC in her pumps and mules is both unique and fairytalelike. Her polka-dot styles are some of the most exciting designs of the season,” Oliveros said. He added that Jennifer Chamandi and By Far are two other names on the rise.
Elizabeth von der Goltz, Global Buying Director at Net-a-Porter, also cited Chamandi as one to watch.
“We love her new ankle boot and look forward to exclusively introducing her sandal next season,” von der Goltz said. Beyond dedicated footwear brands, one emerging ready-to-wear star made a statement with her new shoe collection.
Marine Serre not only worked with Nike, Converse and Melissa for spring ’19, she also launched her own in-house footwear. An evolution of her signature halfmoon logo hosiery, the sporty Moonwear Futureheel features a rubber undersole, kitten heel and pointed toe, and comes with a repeat or single logo.
“Marine has such a unique point of view that’s really exciting to me as a buyer to see things that you haven’t seen before,” said Matches’ fashion and buying director, Natalie Kingham. “Everything she designs has a story, is functional, wearable and comes from a real place of integrity.”