It’s time for New York Fashion Week which kicks off this Friday (10th Feb). More than 70 brands will be displaying their autumn/winter 2023 designs around the city, from celebrity favourite Michael Kors to New York first-timer Heron Preston. We suggest 3 up-and-coming talented designers to follow.
The Bigger, The Better
Brands will be looking to stand out especially in an era where social media allows for ‘exclusive’ catwalk events to be viewed all over the world. Many designers are starting to realise that Gen Z and TikTok are especially open to unique things, and that the stranger the design or product, the better. Designers are recognising the significance and making a serious effort to accomplish something much more rather than merely sending models down a runway.
A number of returning designers, including Sergio Hudson, Christian Siriano, Proenza Schouler, and Brandon Maxwell, as well as newcomers Kate Barton and Zimo, will present their Fall/Winter 2023 collections in an effort to attract trend-setters and perhaps create some viral moments. See below for just 3 upcoming designers to keep an eye on.
COLLINA STRADA
Collina Strada is a brand that’s sure to stand out in the shows. What captures attention is how the some of the collections are created with a Y2K, club-ready appearance. In addition to being a platform for social issues and awareness rather than a fashion brand, the New York company Collina Strada takes sustainability seriously. Collina Strada is made in small amounts in New York, prioritises more environmentally friendly fabrics, and collaborates with the OR Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Ghana that recycles textile waste, to repurpose materials.
ELENA VELEZ
Elena Velez is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born American fashion designer and artist who now resides in New York City. Her work is renowned for its unconventional fusion of high fashion and metalsmithing. She describes the materials she uses in her collections, including repurposed parachutes, knitted cotton, laminated military canvas, upcycled ship sails, leather, and linen, saying that growing up in industrial, gritty, heavy metal environments like shipyards “informed my creative identity from a young age.”
SUKEINA
Omar Salam is the founder and creative director of the international fashion brand Sukeina. Some of the most fashionable women in the world wear these artistic, elegant pieces. Omar’s fashion sense is contemporary, original, and forceful while still being exquisite because of his enthusiasm for making women feel and look exceptional and his distinct vision.
