Next In Fashion: L'Officiel presents 16 rising fashion designers from all over the globe
For the past century, L’OFFICIEL has been documenting the latest in fashion, art and culture, searching the globe for the most innovative creators in their fields. In collaboration with our partners from around the world, we present a dossier detailing 16 designers to watch, from New York to Vienna, Marrakesh, Seoul, and more.
The designers in focus are, through hard work and ingenuity, on the rise. Each with their own unique identity informed by their home countries and an increasingly globalised world, their collections bend and challenge trends while also encompassing the principles of inclusion, evolution and earnestness.
CONNER IVES, USA
Conner Ives has captured his ideal of The American Dream in his collection of the same name. Ives’ graduate collection from Central Saint Martins takes inspiration from the women he grew up around in Bedford, New York. From “The L.A. Crystal Girl” to “The Valedictorian,” these archetypes form a picture of 2010s Americana. The designer manoeuvres vintage fabrics and recycled clothes into new pieces in a process he calls “Reconstituting,” exemplifying the Gen Z mentality emphasising sustainability.
CASSEY GAN, Malaysia
The chemical-engineer-turned-fashion-designer Cassey Gan is no typical creator. After realising her true passions in the fashion industry, Gan studied design at London College of Fashion before eventually starting her own brand in 2014. With a focus on joyful prints and bold color, Gan’s goal is to empower those who wear her clothes to be themselves. She draws inspiration from the sensations of Malaysian cuisine, capturing the colour, textures and stories that weave through mealtime traditions.
NOUS ÉTUDIONS, Argentina
Romina Cardillo is not new to the fashion world. After working alongside her family in textiles, it’s no surprise that she went on to found her own menswear project in 2007, Grupo 134, before launching Nous Étudions. With a focus on sustainable and genderless design, the brand has collaborated with big names, such as Nike. The “ancient biotechnology” of the brand is not only striking, but innovative, and led Cardillo to being one of the 2020 LVMH Prize semi-finalists.
EENK, Korea
EENK designer Hyemee Lee’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection is titled “T for Temptation,” which is exemplified in the high Victorian collars and cinched waists. Like the city of its origin, the brand exists past limiting binaries.“Street and luxury are intertwined in Seoul. People create their own style without any hesitation to mix it up,” says Lee when asked about the city’s influence in her feminine-meets-masculine creations.
CARL JAN CRUZ, Phillipines
Carl Jan Cruz, known as CJ to his family and friends, describes his collections as “honest” and “intimate.” Always intrigued by fashion, Cruz began interning in the fashion industry at a very young age, going back and forth between New York and Manila. His native country undoubtedly influences his designs, which are a combination of heritage and personal references.
KSENIASCHNAIDER, Ukraine
Ukrainian duo Ksenia and Anton Schnaider are the creative minds behind Kseniaschnaider. Focusing on the blurred line between casual and formal wear is exactly what the brand seems to do best, initially gaining popularity in 2016 after releasing their demi- denim shorts, which took the fashion world by storm. Reflecting on her father’s first pair of jeans in the Soviet Union, Ksenia says, “He cared about them like they were luxury. He shared one pair with my mom. I think at that time I fell in love with denim.”
GUIDO VERA, Chile
The self-proclaimed nomad Guido Vera creates minimalist designs with a twist—but don’t call them simple. Gaining inspiration from said nomadic lifestyle as well as his childhood in Patagonia, Vera provides a fresh take on Chilean street style while keeping in mind the needs of the planet, mixing natural Peruvian cotton with recycled materials and deadstock fabrics.
SAID MAHROUF, Morocco
The Moroccan culture as it once was and as it exists today are both encapsulated by the work of Said Mahrouf. Born in Morocco and raised in Amsterdam, the designer’s timeless and feminine designs are created to flatter the female form. Mahrouf has a close relationship with many of his clients, often working to create custom pieces in the tradition of the local craftsmanship that is still celebrated in Casablanca, where his showroom is located.
PETAR PETROV, Austria
Petar Petrov’s designs provoke emotion, while still being chic and ultra-wearable. A balance of fluid cuts, boxy shapes, and sumptuous fabrics, his pieces have found fans in numerous celebrities and style stars. Petrov finds inspiration from those surrounding him in Vienna, creating his clothes with precise thoughtfulness, and it shows. His collections are versatile, well-made, and fit for the modern woman.
DAWEI, China
If fashion is the expression of the self through clothes, then it follows that uniforms would be the opposite. Yet, young fashion designer Dawei’s first fashion memories were the military uniforms worn by family.“People need to express their uniqueness whether they have the opportunity to wear different clothes or not,” he says. Cutting his teeth at Balenciaga before starting his own label, the designer creates clothes for the woman that “can be graceful even when she needs to run.”
MCOUTURE, Latvia
Julia Malahova, founder of MCouture, has developed what was once a hobby into her profession. After initially falling in love with the Lady Dior denim bag 20 years ago, the designer has gone on to sweep the Latvian Fashion and Style Awards as Designer of the Year, Debut of the Year, Fashion Show of the Year and Best Concept Store of the Year. Inspired by her father, who was a master tailor and taught Malahova to not be afraid to bend the rules, her enchanting collections seem straight out of a fashion fantasy.
JUOZAS STATKEVICIUS, Lithuania
Juozas Statkevic ̆ius has an impressive resume: the designer has authored three books, released several fragrances, has been creating stage costumes for over three decades, and has had his designs worn by the likes of Björk, Naomi Watts, Nicole Richie and more. The designer preserves his Lithuanian roots in his designs to date, stating “without history and the past, there is no future.”
CASABLANCA, France
Charaf Tajer brings together his interest in architecture and leisurewear to his brand Casablanca. The French-Moroccan designer’s pieces are right at home on the French Riviera or the streets of resort towns.Tajer’s latest collection takes inspiration from the Memphis design movement of the ’80s combined with a ’90s Tokyo, a playful contrast that begs for a sun-drenched locale.
ALUF, Brazil
Ana Luisa Fernandes, the designer behind Aluf, is creating much more than just clothes. With aims to communicate the experiences of the world in her sustainable collections, Fernandes has turned clothing into purposeful art. Her creations are products of creative thought,“a questioning, a feeling,” or as she describes it,“the entire abstract universe of the unconscious.”
ANDREA ADAMO, Italy
The “second skin” Andrea Adamo has created is one of mobility and freedom. With a mission to represent the wearer behind the clothes, Adamo believes his nude palette allows just that. Though the brand was born at the tumultuous time of the pandemic, the company has defied all odds, even selling out. The new collection “metamorfosi,” meaning metamorphosis, is said to embody the ideas of change and the myths that go along with it, to develop—but not to alter—the fundamental self.
GIA STUDIOS, Vietnam
Lam Gia Khang captures the timelessness and elegance of minimal design in his brand Gia Studios. Khang, who was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 in Vietnam, creates clothing that is a marriage of opposites, with a neutral colour palette that holds their timelessness while the daring designs challenge their minimalist character. The designer incorporates details from traditional Vietnamese clothing, weaving his heritage throughout the pieces.
