By the end of the season, Vogue Runway will have reviewed over 450 labels and written up even more as part of our news and trend coverage. Among the mainstays and cult favorites are a crop of young designers changing the industry from the outside in. Holding their presentations in Chinese clubs and Parisian malls instead of the hallowed halls of Fashion Week proper, these are the on-the-rise brands set to be tomorrow’s leaders. Meet all 14 of them here.
Photo: Courtesy of Alyx1/14Alyx
Designer: Matthew Williams
Location: New York City
Founded: 2015
Need to know: Williams, who cut his teeth as a creative director for some names you just might know (ahem, Kanye and Gaga), is now turning out badass luxury basics with Alyx—named for his adorable young daughter. Come for the perfectly cut flares, stay for the skate-inspired graphic tees.
Where to follow: @alyxstudio
Photo: Courtesy of Moses Gauntlett Cheng2/14Moses Gauntlett Cheng
Designers: Esther Gauntlett and Jenny Cheng
Location: New York City
Founded: 2015
Need to know: Downtown mainstay David Moses (arguably better known by his Instagram alias, @angelmasturbatingsoftly) may be pals with Lily-Rose Depp, but the label he cofounded as an Eckhaus Latta intern and has since departed is earning plenty of attention on its own. Post-gender and unapologetically crafty-looking, MGC was a hit at the VFiles Spring ’16 runway show, and its sophomore collectsion sold out at Opening Ceremony.
Where to follow: @mosesgauntlettcheng
Photo: Courtesy of Eric Schlösberg3/14Eric Schlösberg
Designer: Eric Schlösberg
Location: New York City
Founded: 2016
Need to know: Formerly one half of well-loved Ammerman Schlösberg, Eric Schlösberg has struck out on his own with an eponymous line that’s every bit as eccentric as his onetime label. Fall ’16 took its cues from the idea of an uptown girl gone full-on St. Marks Place.
Where to follow: @ericschlosberg
Photo: Courtesy of LRS4/14LRS Studio
Designer: Raul Solis
Location: New York City
Founded: 2014
Need to know: Solis may be an alum of Proenza Schouler’s design team, but his clothes strike a chord all their own. Fall 2016 was a bedtime-inspired affair, chock-full of pajama-inflected separates and some seriously killer plush blanket coats decked out in deliciously chintzy prints of unicorns and roses.
Where to follow: @_l_r_s_
Photo: Courtesy of Vejas5/14Vejas
Designer: Vejas Kruszewski
Location: Toronto
Founded: 2014
Need to know: At just 19 years old, Kruszewski is the youngest finalist for the LVMH Prize since its inception. Whether he takes home the gold or not, you can expect to see a lot more of his brutally beautiful creations in the months to come.
Where to follow: @vejask
Photo: Marcus Tondo / Indigital.tv6/14Y/Project
Designer: Glenn Martens
Location: Paris (by way of Martens’s native Belgium)
Founded: 2010
Need to know: At once gritty and glamorous, Martens’s designs have been gaining plenty of traction recently: In addition to being a finalist for this year’s LVMH Prize, Y/Project has become a fast favorite of Rihanna, who’s donned the label’s sweeping
coatdress as well as its pin-striped suit on her Anti world tour.Where to follow: @yproject_official
Photo: Charlotte Wales / Courtesy of Area7/14Area
Designers: Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk
Location: New York City
Founded: 2013
Need to know: Maybe you know their signature, braille-like embossing techniques and Lurex-laced flares. Now it’s time to get on board with the increasingly disco-glam—and increasingly buzzy—style of dressing proposed by this power pairing, who respectively have runs at Chloé and Calvin Klein on their CVs.
Where to follow: @areanyc
Photo: Courtesy of Pyer Moss8/14Pyer Moss
Designer: Kerby Jean-Raymond
Location: New York City
Founded: 2014
Need to know: After collectsions focused on the Black Lives Matter movement and the 1906 captivity of Congolese man Ota Benga at the Bronx Zoo, Jean-Raymond focused his attention on depression for Fall 2016, collaborating with Erykah Badu, who styled the collectsion. The themes might be heavy, but Jean-Raymond’s clothing has a light, streetwise spirit that works on men or women.
Where to follow: @pyermoss
Photo: Courtesy of Vaquera9/14Vaquera
Designers: Patric Dicaprio, David Moses, and Bryn Taubensee
Location: New York City
Founded: 2014
Need to know: A part of New York’s deconstruction movement, Vacquera blends founder Dicaprio’s Southern roots with a contemporary youthful irreverence. Yes, there are giant prairie bonnets and blouson tops—the latter of which have been worn by the likes of Juliana Huxtable and Hari Nef—but there are also sensible plaid trousers and gray coats.
Where to follow: @vaquera.nyc
Photo: Luca Tombolini / Indigital.tv10/14Koché
Designer: Christelle Kocher
Location: Paris
Founded: 2014
Need to Know: Couture quality meets normcore at Koché, where Kocher applies the haute techniques she practices at her day job at Maison Lemarié on everyday items like hoodies and tees. Kocher is a finalist for the LVMH Prize and was a semi-finalist last year.
Where to follow: @koche_official
Photo: Courtesy of Shan Huq11/14Shan Huq
Designer: Shan Huq
Location: New York City
Founded: 2015
Need to Know: Huq combines pop culture references with club kid–wear. For the flashy, there’s a Tila Tequila portrait print, while the more reserved (aka those not shopping for a see-through top) will like his chunky patterned outerwear.
Where to follow: @shanhuq
Photo: Courtesy of Aalto12/14Aalto
Designer: Tuomas Merikoski
Location: Paris
Founded: 2014
Need to know: Start with a stark, Scandanavian sensibility and add in the throbbing pulse of street culture and you have Aalto’s graphic creations. An LVMH Prize finalist, Merikoski has been quietly expanding his fashion footprint throughout the past two years.
Where to follow: @aaltointernational
Photo: Courtesy of Gogo Grahm13/14Gogo Graham
Designer: Gogo Graham
Location: New York City
Founded: 2014
Need to know: Graham’s undone garments aren’t the only things garnering attention for the young designer—she’s also been one of the first to champion trans models, casting exclusively trans women for her Resort 2016 lookbook.
Where to follow: @gogograham
Photo: Marcus Tondo / Indigital.tv14/14AV Robertson
Designer: Amie Robertson
Location: London
Founded: 2015
Need to know: As a former assistant at Marc Jacobs, Robertson scored Katie Grand to style her Fall 2016 collectsion and had Jacobs seated in her front row. Endorsements aside, her updates to traditional evening staples like suiting stripes and beaded embellishments are noteworthy for their real-world appeal.
Where to follow: @av_robertson
