8 New Designers On Their Way To Worldwide Wardrobe Domination
By Connie Wang
ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY CECILIA CARLSTEDT.
It seems like an easy enough task: Have great style, translate that style into clothes, and then become a famed international fashion designer. But, there are enough watered-down versions of Alex Wang, Rick Owens, and Calvin Klein in the world for us all to realize that it’s much more difficult than that. Besides a business sense, incredible technical skill, intuition about what women want to wear, and a heaping helping of luck, you’ve also got to have vision.
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The following eight designers — from all around the world — are on the way to checking off all those boxes, and entering the current company of designers who are defining how women are dressing these days. Check out their prowess and let us know — do you see what we see?
69 — United States
“Genderless” clothing is a bit of a buzzword these days, but denim label 69 promises that it isn’t a gimmick. The clothes themselves are endlessly shapeable and ask the wearer to be playful, two things that haven’t traditionally been associated with denim labels. Some of the stuff will inspire giggles, but we’re betting that people laughed at women wearing pants back in the day, too.
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Fumika Uchida — Japan
There’s not much information in the West about Fumika Uchida, the brand that grew out of the very popular vintage shop J’Antiques. But, in Tokyo, the line is a sensation that interprets Americana elements in new ways. The items are either modern interpretations of old-world looks, like a lovely drug-rug poncho with a new, kicky crop, or are the perfect re-imagination of vintage favorites, like a dark-wash denim jumpsuit resembling the kind of scores a thrifting enthusiast can only imagine coming across once in her lifetime.
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Trager Delaney — U.K.
London’s Central Saint Martins has turned out plenty of students with the sort of short, futuristic whimsical characteristics of Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane, but while the 2012-born label Trager Delaney’s aesthetics lean a little softer and gentler, it’s no less cerebral. In easy-to-wear shapes that are still challenging in the kinds of way we like our fashion to be, Trager Delaney’s real highlight is in the cleverness of the construction. Luxurious, thoughtful, and imaginative, Trager Delaney is the definition of wonderfully weird.
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Julia Seemann — Switzerland
There are certain new indie designers who can only be described as cool — and Julia Seemann has tapped into something new and fresh that the style set should be clamoring to wear. Geometric and splashy, but restrained, Seemann’s work is part streetcar, part sculpture.
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Richa Aggarwal — India
Modern trends have borrowed heavily from traditional Indian shapes, and it’s no surprise that going straight to the source is the best way to nab beautifully mixed colors, patterns, and casual layers that inspire a pile-on. One young Indian designer is doing it better than anyone else: Rich Aggarwal interprets traditional craftsmanship with a new sensibility. The collection makes the “Indian-inspired” rags filling up racks in your mall look like child’s play.
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Straeteas Carlucci — Australia
Finalists at the 2015 Woolmark Awards and the regional winner in Australia, Staeteas Calucci is a brand that’s been able to be forward-thinking in design while having a quality of timelessness. The dark-and-moody vibe of the brand might be at odds with the current fashion obsession with ‘70s silhouettes and light-and-bright colors, but the brand makes a compelling reason to stray back to the dark side.
Vita Kin — Ukraine
For a designer with no real website, Vita Kin has really struck a chord with the international online style community. Her embroidered dresses, coats, and separates incorporate voluminous Ukrainian silhouettes and intricate folk design elements, and has already made an impact in the street style circuit. Anna Dello Russo and Leandra Medine, among others, are already fans. It’s boho for a new generation.
Collina Strada — United States
Colin Strada is already known for its line of handbags, but has slowly been incorporating clothing into its lineup. Known for manipulating organic, soft fabrics into structured, geometric shapes, the clothes — like the bags — mix leather and chiffon, opaque and sheer, into a hard-meets-soft mash-up in the form of mix-and-match pieces that are fun to wear, too.
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