The Future of Fashion: Emerging Designers on Our Radar

Despite the lineup being leaner than ever, it’s New York Fashion Week and the industry is abuzz to see new collections debut in the city. Whilst the calendar is filled with brilliant established designers like Ralph Lauren, it's always exciting to see new voices. Some upcoming talent are only a few years fresh out of fashion school and already dressing the likes of Rosalia, Charli XCX, and other tastemakers across entertainment. Others produce wardrobes that tackle sustainability and produce conceptual shows in avant-garde locations a la Margiela. The lack of female designers heading luxury houses has also been a noted topic of discussion and amongst the new generation, there are many brimming with the capacity to change that. So make some way, because these kids on the block are creating waves both on the runway and guiding what we shop for the future. It's so difficult to choose between so many great designers, but we want to celebrate the city, so we’ve decided to stick to home turf. In honor of celebrating the city’s most stylish week, here are eight emerging, American and/or NY-based designers on our radar.

Aisling Camps

Ethereal knitwear whispers from Brooklyn-based Aisling Camps’ studio. A finalist for the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, Camps creates her signature pieces using extensive drapery, and experimental fabrics. You’ll find turtlenecks crafted from translucent nylon yarn next to flipped skirts made of extra-fine merino wool. With hints of Margiela-esque methodologies like deconstruction and using upcycled fabrics, Camps codes all coalesce to form a layered wardrobe that often makes references to organic forms. The designer’s collections are often inspired by delicate floral arrangements. Her work honors both body and form, creating flattering silhouettes which move with dancer-like grace on her models. Quiet and daring, Aisling’s next collections are one to watch.

Miss Claire Sullivan

Unique and playful, the New York-based couture atelier specializes in ultra-feminine custom pieces inspired by fantasy, dance, and old Hollywood. Her popular silhouettes like her re-imagined childhood princess dress and ballet skirts are beloved by entertainers like Rosalia, Pink Panthress, and Addison Rae and their stylists. No doubt her tutu pieces would be favored by none other than fictional New Yorker Carrie Bradshaw. It makes sense, given that visual storytelling and New York itself has had a great influence on Sullivan. Ms. Claire began her atelier after designing custom pieces for her friend Tourmaline’s film. After wrapping, she carried on making looks for herself to wear on the city streets. Soon, friends, artists, and its girls were requesting pieces and the label was born. As a result, it's clear to see that both movies and a personal one-of-one approach are pillars in her process. So if you see a dramatic tutu or princess skirt on someone running around the city, it might be one of Miss Claire’s singular designs.

Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen

Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen has made a name for herself in the city thanks to her recognizable medieval silhouettes worn by the likes of Suki Waterhouse. Made of deadstock and vintage materials, Whalen’s sustainable sculptural garments are steeped in references to art history and body-modification. All draped, cut, patterned, and sewed in her studio, Whalen’s pieces may be contemporary in tone, but they are informed by the past. The designer refers to her works as vessels for psychic communication and is intentional about creating seasonal collections that slow down the fashion cycle.

Amir Taghi

Parsons and Central Saint Martin graduate Taghi is a Persian-American designer whose eponymous house combines color, refinement, and texture. Drawing from his childhood in Houston, Texas and his Iranian background, Taghi creates elegant ensembles with exaggerated cuts and fluid movements. Having worked for Oscar De La Renta, Proenza Schouler, Monse, and Adam Lippes, Amir has lent his talents to some of the most renowned labels. His sophisticated pieces mix vibrant patterns and detailed tailoring. Both lady-like and luxurious, his garments carry an air of reserved refinery.

Gabe Gordon

Since his hand-crafted asymmetrical cardigans became popular mid-pandemic, Brooklyn-based designer Gabe Gordon has become a fixture in the experimental scene. The label’s knitwear collections have sold to major select retailers and been worn by the likes of singer Dua Lipa. Gordon’s secret sauce lies in his textile development and his juxtaposed storytelling. The Conneticut native’s distinctive hand-dying and hand-weaving techniques include the signature moth hole method. It's the details that matter here - the extra long sleeves on a sweater that ruffle perfectly at the wrists. Or the delicate gold exposed seam detailing that embeds the right amount of magic into a cardigan. Influenced by vintage Americana references and his own queer experience, his pieces straddle the line between comfort and discomfort, decay and re-birth, grotesque and beauty. Whether it's a playfully ironic T-shirt or asymmetrical knit dress, Gordon’s pieces are extremely wearable, yet will always arrive with a subversive element. The T-shirt opens on one shoulder to slightly reveal the neckline or a knit’s colorblocking contours the wearer’s waist, for instance. His ability to balance commercial appeal with an off-kilter sensibility appeals to fashion outsiders and insiders.

6397

For those unfamiliar with 6397 (the brand’s name derives from typing NEWS on a telephone keypad), this NYFW is the perfect introduction as they will be holding their first runway show. The show will be styled by the costume designer of Marty Supreme Miyako Bellizzi, which implies the brand is an established player. But despite the fact that 6379 has been around for nearly a decade (founded by Stella Ishii, now healmed by Lizzie Owens), the brand continues to be a key supplier of the underground elite’s wardrobe. Tracksuit slip dresses and twisted inside out striped shirts are popular pieces. Best known for creating subversive, elevated basics, the brand ignores trends and its audience relishes its quirky, alternative viewpoint.

Ella Mae

Raised in Colorado, LA-based designer Ella Mae combines the earthiness of her rural roots with girly charm. The RISD alums label is a garden of eden of cottage-inspired bloomers, ruffled balloon skirts, and cropped t-shirts featuring rock and crystal prints. Coweled necklines and vine-like fringes bring layers of the natural word into LA’s streets.Pieces in her collections often reference natural elements like moss, ivy, and orchids. By using deadstock, natural fibers, and small-production cycles, Mae’s label puts sustainability at the forefront of her practice.

Andrew Curwen

This September marks Parson graduate and Curwen’s sophomore NYFW collection (his show Your Last Breath Belongs to Me was the buzz of Bushwick last year) and the alt it-girls are excited. Slayyyter, Charli XCX, and Doechii have all worn his garments, which deliver the designer’s signature contemporary spin on the Victorian-romantic-gothic aesthetic. His runway makeup styling recalls Egon Shiele. With comparisons to Lee McQueen’s theatrical and macabre style, Curwen’s label is where you’ll find romantic textures, detailed boned corsetry, and storytelling woven into exquisite fabrics. In addition to exploring concepts of intimacy with darkness and romantic fatalism, the Lake-Placid hailing designer is deeply invested in craftsmanship and performance. With Scottish roots, Curwen incorporates a symbolic homage to his family’s family motto - si je’nestoy (If I had not been there) in his label’s unicorn logo.