Fashion
8 Up-And-Coming Designers To Keep Your Eyes On This Fashion Month
Some are on-schedule, some off, and many are already on it girls’ backs.
The major news this Fashion Month is the epic creative-director shuffle, with 11 debut collections from fresh designers (that we know about, anyways) set to hit the runways. It’s obviously a very exciting time with new energy imminent — we got a taste of said energy at Venice via Chanel and Dior — but this fashion month, we’re equally (if not more so) excited for the names you might not recognize to show us something genuinely new. Megabrands have numbers to hit and VICs to please, but the scrappy young talent have simply one goal: to make a statement. We sifted through the schedules and our inboxes to put together a list of eight names we’re following on social media and sitting front-row for this month, and while a few have already gotten pulled by major celebrities, several are on the cusp of breaking out. Below, find a new designer to get behind and remember where you saw them first. (Here, duh.)
LII
Zane Li is only two years out of school, graduating from FIT in 2023, but his brand Lii has already captured the attention of fashion editors and stylists alike. His rigorous yet relaxed approach to sportswear results in oddities like a furry skirt, the multilayer dress seen on Ayo Edebiri, and the impeccably louche white frock Greta Lee wore to the Indie Spirit Awards. Li’s holding his first runway show on the New York Fashion Week calendar on Sep. 16. Expect superstylists and maybe a familiar A-lister or two to show their support.
Pipenco
Lorena Pipenco isn’t interested in realism. The Romanian designer riffs on the in-between of reality and fantasy, resulting in fantastical frocks destined for Lady Gaga’s second run of the Mayhem Ball (when that manifestation comes true, remember where you read it first). Although she’s not on the official calendar, Pipenco will host on a show on Sep. 15, and has already gained A-list traction through placements on Karol G and Julia Fox.
Aaron Esh
Where Pipenco is dream-like, Aaron Esh is rooted in reality — but his reality is anything but boring. A Central Saint Martins graduate and LVMH Prize finalist, Esh designs fluid, ridiculously sexy dresses for the fluid, ridiculously sexy people of London. Anyone queer, questioning, or looking for an excuse to show off some skin will find themselves in his collections, which is showing for the fourth time on the runway at London Fashion Week.
Lucila Safdie
Lucile Safdie’s namesake brand, founded in 2022, feels like an Addison Rae song come to life (I’m specifically thinking “Money Is Everything”). Her whimsical, girly designs are all hand-produced in London and capture that awkward feeling of dressing yourself as a teenager, but with better quality and a point of view mall clothes simply don’t have. She’s clearly capturing a moment: Her Fall/Winter Instagram campaign features it girls du jour like Sotce reading in her creations, and she’s on the London Fashion Week official calendar.
Francesco Murano
Milan is the fashion week most infamous for being old-school; that is, being an emerging designer in the Italian fashion capital is notoriously tough. Murano is a rare exception, having been tapped to create couture pieces for a Bvlgari high jewelry show and dress Florence Pugh and Simone Ashley. He was a finalist in this year’s LMVH Prize top ten — with his sexy, unapologetically tight dresses that are impeccably crafted catching the eye of fashion’s elite — and will show in Milan on schedule for the second time.
Julie Kegels
Kegels’ brand is only a year old, but has one of the chief emerging-label endorsements of our times: a placement on Dua Lipa. Kegels’ first outing at Paris Fashion Week was just last season, showing off her quirked-up takes on wardrobe staples like the duffle coat, jean jacket, and pencil skirt. Her vision feels vintage, yet pulled into the future with unusual adornments like the belted top and bottom Dua wore.
Laura Andraschko
In a sea of dress shirts and “modern femininity,” Laura Andraschko is just here to have a good time. Her designs are executed well, though, and her thematic collections are specific yet have pieces for everyone. Case in point: Her mens fashion week show, which revolved around skiwear, featured Lindsey Wixon in an off-the-shoulder fur-trimmed gown alongside some skimpy separates. There’s really something for everyone, that is, anyone brave enough to wear lacy briefs as bottoms.
De Pino
Call De Pino Gabbriette the way they’re so inspired. Designer Gabriel Figueiredo pokes fun at the industry’s obsession with referencing by planting very obvious callbacks to early-aughts Balenciaga collections and other well-known tropes, but with a supersized twist. Lady Gaga has already worn his first-season collection, and he’ll present on the runway for the second time off-schedule at Paris Fashion Week on Sep. 30.
