The 10 Emerging Designers Shaping The Future Of Fashion

To say it’s a hard time to be a young designer would be an understatement. Every day is a fight: for attention, for financing, for the freedom to make whatever one wants. If we had a dollar for every clothing brand that didn’t need to exist, we’d have, well, a lot of dollars, and weeding out the noise is harder than ever with social-media-first brands and celebrity start-ups taking up space. So, how do you rise to the top?

The young designers we have an affinity for are true artisans, transcending the notion of pure fashion design to stretch across art, architecture, and even product design. They’re not afraid to take risks, and they largely don’t feel the need for dramatic runway stunts or social-media gags to get eyes on their designs. And they certainly have fans: Our list has dressed practically every musician we know and love, plus the tastemakers shaping our shopping habits (so don’t be surprised when we splurge on their collections). They might not be in stores yet, or they might just be showing for the first time, but their commitment to a singular vision and making it against all odds keeps us coming back for more. See the names we know and love — and that you should, too.

ATXV: The Party-Girl Whisperer

If the old guard of Milan knows how to execute a perfect linen suit and day dress, the new kids on the block are taking us to the club. ATXV, founded by Antonio Tarantini, is at the head of the pack, and since 2021, he has amassed fans across the fashion and music industries. The brand executes slinky, tiered, cotton separates, and sexy-as-all-hell party dresses, which have been worn multiple times by Charli xcx, Rosé, and Adéla. The Spring/Summer 2026 collection shows what makes it so covetable: layered slip dresses with cutouts and sheer paneling that provide intrigue while still offering some coverage, itty-bitty tank tops, and silk uniform-inspired shirts. If you want to look as undressed as possible while still covering just the right amount of skin, you’ve found your next obsession.

Andrew Curwen: The New Romantic

For every pretty day-dress brand in New York, the natural order requires a goth prince of the night to balance it out and deliver on the grit the city is known for. This is where Curwen steps in. His first time on the New York Fashion Week schedule in February 2026 delivered a tight curation of his fantastical all-black corsetry, luscious spun wisps of knits, and decadent dresses, which strike a balance between light and dark, undone and perfected, and fantasy and reality. He counts 2hollis, Lady Gaga, and Slayyyter as clients, most recently creating the black rabbit look for the latter’s “Brand New Chanel$” music video. The unfiltered romance and glamour of his designs is underlined by his world-class construction and ability to remain ultra-specific while still catering to the unique needs of pop stars.

Gabe Gordon: The Downtown Freak

Gordon has had his label since 2021 and counts Troye Sivan, PinkPantheress, and Dua Lipa as fans, but recently, with the help of his husband, costume designer Timothy Gibbons, he’s expanded the point of view and the craftsmanship of his designs. Take, for example, the Fall/Winter 2026 collection, which is best described as if Tonya Harding had subleased in Bushwick, with skater skirts, corseted plaid tops, and cutesy knits — his specialty — playing with prop skates and tousled ’80s hair. The throughline is a commitment to sustainability and intentional fabric uses, making sure nothing more than necessary is used. Above all, it’s Gordon’s and Gibbons’ sense of whimsy, camp, and unapologetic humor that sets them apart in a commercially minded New York (and American) fashion landscape. Case in point: Gordon’s object collection this year made in partnership with Australian sexual wellness brand LBDO that features a bespoke vibrating ring in a metal egg-like case.

TheVxlley: The In-Betweener

Who would’ve thought grass would be such a fashion staple in the 2020s? Many designers have played with the natural “fabric,” but none have been quite as enthralling as Daniel Del Valle’s TheVxlley, the brand that shook up last London Fashion Week with its porcelain teacup corsets and quite literally alive silhouettes that embraced the natural world and the dramatics of costumes alike. In a sea of floral patterns, actually using flowers in practice is rare, which breathed new life into dresses and skirts. He’s self-trained, new to the scene, and ready to shock. It’s worked so far: He has already landed a placement on Lady Gaga.

Patrick Taylor: The Sporty Knitter

It’s not everyday you see a lifejacket in fine merino wool, but in Taylor’s world, anything and everything is possible. The British designer (who just made New York his home base) honors his inner child with his designs, tapping into a childhood filled with competitive sailing and skiing that lends itself to his knitwear savvy. After making waves at Thom Browne, he set out on his own, resulting in larger-than-life quarter-zip sweaters, intricately laced knit tops and shorts, and more casual separates like wide-leg denim. He’s making his New York Fashion Week schedule debut this season, where the ladies will also find his first womenswear offering — and we plan to dive right in.

Simon Carle: The Avant-Garde Minimalist

When Rosalía appeared at the 2026 Brits to perform “Berghain” with Björk, my eyes went straight to the designs worn by her dance troupe. Turns out they were courtesy of Carle, who works with vintage and deadstock fabrics to rework bras, tank tops, and hosiery into Margiela-esque pieces that have a second life. The piece de resistance of his practice, however, has been seeing his on-skin tattoo-clothing work, especially on Tyla, who wore a snakeskin-printed top molded specifically to her body during Paris Fashion Week. Carle blends performance art, fashion, and beauty practices in a refreshing way without falling into tropes or clichés.

Ilya Migmoon: The Modern Couturier

Instagram might be the death of civilization, but it’s also the best place to find unknown talent. Enter Migmoon, whose Instagram account has served as his CV and breeding ground for stylists and celebrities to fawn over his dramatic, heavily Victorian-coded work. Think: super-tight corsets with exaggerated side bustles, entirely feather-covered midi dresses with wings protruding from the back of the waist, and a 10-foot train made out of wigs. Rosalía and Joey King have worn his designs, and while there is no current plan for a fashion-week appearance in his native South Korea or abroad, the world is already clamoring for more.

Tidjane Tall: The Parisian Peacock

Men’s fashion week in Paris is where editors go to, yes, take in collections from major labels, but also let their hair down and find the next big name to watch. The Institut Francais de la Mode also seized the opportunity during the week to give its graduates an exhibition runway show, and the name on everyone’s lips after the 2025 edition was Tall’s. With just six looks, Tall opened the show with an explosion of fringed sheath tops that look like leather (but are actually laser-cut viscose crepe), shearling on a low-cut maroon dress, Swarovski crystals on tight wool briefs, and an architectural black wool dress that betrays Tall’s introduction to the industry with its mastery. His vision was crystal clear, and immediately spoke to fashion insiders: Paloma Elsesser pulled the maroon dress for a Bvlgari celebration at Couture Week in January. His high-glamour, maximalist takes on everyday staples are sure to delight if and when he develops his collections.

A Letter: The Fabric Sculptors

If you’re a fan of Emma Corrin, you probably remember her delightfully camp polo dress with a red taffeta skirt and exaggerated black bow that looked stuck mid-wind-blow designed by Freddy Coomes and Matt Empringham. That dress was under Coomes’ name, but the duo has rebranded as A Letter. While the two haven’t shown an official runway for the brand — the debut is happening at London Fashion Week on Sep. 18 — their geometric, architectural takes on scarves, shoes, and dresses have taken Instagram by storm, in addition to the single yellow silk rose they sculpted and shot in the mouths of close friends. They see wool and silk not as just fabrics, but as materials meant to be molded on and off the body like a work of art. The one dress currently available for purchase at Dover Street Market, the Francesca dress, is a turquoise shock of a shift dress with a single bow on the chest, perfectly encapsulating their quirky, straightforward take on design.

Geordie Campbell: The British Humorist

What do dancers, British gay guys, and boxers have in common? Besides (probably) a love for Kylie Minogue, they all served as inspiration for Campbell’s first ready-to-wear collection. Campbell drew on Billy Elliot (a seminal British queer text) and dancerly ’80s knits to make “Rough Pointe,” which shows his love for the oddities of life and the disarming simplicity of denim, graphic T-shirts, and simple workwear uniforms. The result is charming, quirky, and classically English without leaning into pastiche — the genuine wearability of the clothes underscores the tongue-in-cheek humor we can’t wait to see Campbell expound on.