Half the fun in fashion is discovering more. With the explosion of new designers, the trick isn’t discovering more but finding a place to start. Here are a few of our own suggestions.
1. LOVER
LOVER is a newer fashion label from Australia. The brand started in 2001 as the brainchild of Nic Briand and Susien Chong, whose label reflects their own relationship status. As expected, LOVER reflects their two separate personalities and influences, but it reads like a conversation rather than a forced mash of ideas. Chong brings softness while Briand brings a bit of edge, and the result is badass lace in the best way possible. They counteract the inherent romanticism of the lace with a limited pailette and sharp tailoring.
Why you should know them: The couple is a modern-day success story, launching from a market stall to the Sydney Opera House in only 10 years. Plus, they had me at “badass lace.” —ML
2. Esteban Cortazar
Esteban Cortazar is another example of how to go the alternate route. At 17, he was the youngest designer to show in New York Fashion Week. At 23, he was appointed creative director of Emanuel Ungaro. Two years later, he left the design house due to creative differences (Lindsay Lohan was involved, you can fill in the rest). Now, at 29, he has partnered with online retailer Net-A-Porter to create a line while re-interpreting the “normal” business model. His pieces are case studies of the female body, from their angles to their movements, recreated in sculptural monochromatic pieces. He also partnered with jewelry designer Alican Icoz to create pieces that are high-fashion twists on hardware store finds.
Why you should know him: Cortazar shows an inherent understanding of the body that translates into pieces that read like art rather than clothes. He also made a name for himself at a young age and continues to defy the “norms” of how fashion bureaucracy works. —ML
3. Delpozo
This February was only Delpozo’s second show at New York Fashion Week, yet it had all of the fashion editors abuzz. Creative Director Josep Font revitalized the old Spanish house, making it one of the must-see fashion shows at this year’s New York Fashion Week. Delpozo just opened up its first Flagship store in Miami — the perfect destination for its couture-like ornate flowy dresses. Delpozo is for the intricate girly-girl with lavish details, flouncy ruffles and beautiful florals.
Why you should know them: Delpozo is one of the biggest up-and-coming names. This is a label that fashion editors and insiders alike will be wearing long before any celebrities start walking the red carpet in their designs. It’s pure fairy-tale fashion. —PM
4. ThreeASFOUR
ThreeASFOUR has been showing at New York Fashion Week for the last seven years. The design team is comprised of three different designers, Gabriel Asfour, Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil who come together to create one of the most consistently sophisticated and avant garde collections on the runways. Their clothing oftentimes looks more like paper than fabric, with cutouts so detailed and intense they look like intricate paper snowflakes.
Why you should know them: ThreeASFOUR is a label that is so utterly high fashion it will never be a household name like Dior. But with such beautiful, conceptual pieces they are an undercover hit that should be followed for inspiration. —PM
