In case you hadn’t already noticed, fashion season is in full swing. With New York already under our belts, London starting today, and Milan and Paris shimmering on the horizon, anticipation is high as we wait to see what the likes of Marine Serre, Ashley Williams, Rick Owens, and Prada have in store for us for AW20. 

While there’s plenty to be excited for when it comes to the big four fashion capitals, that’s not to say the cities’ catwalks are the only place young, talented fashion designers are putting their creations on show. Plenty are eschewing the established industry schedule in favour of DIY shows, off-schedule presentations, and lo-fi shoots helmed by their equally creative friends. 

Emerging from establishments including CSM and the RCA, based everywhere from Puerto Rico to London, here are just a few of the designers that should be on your radar in the year of our lord 2020.

MARVIN DESROC 

Graduating from Central Saint Martins last year, Marvin Desroc cites the likes of Alexander McQueen, Alaïa, and Jean Paul Gaultier as his inspiration. Specialising in menswear, the designer’s work subverts traditional ideas of masculinity, with knitted and crocheted vests crafted to allow glimpses of the nipple, and tailored styles finished with delicate floral detailing – with his unique approach already gaining him fans including Olly Alexander. 

@marvindesroc

MAX ALLEN

Max Allen’s Instagram may be the only place you’ll find Mowalola, Kylie Minogue, and the Crazy Frog all hanging out – even if they are just printed across a corset. Balancing high and low-brow culture through his unique clothing, along with a shit ton of camp extravagance, the London-based designer finds inspiration everywhere: from vintage Italian posters right through to the iconic Coke logo. Fans of his work include FKA twigs, Shygirl, and Sports Banger, who invited him to collaborate on a couture-esque look for his SS20 show. 

@maxallenbabes

KRYSTAL PANIAGUA 

A former student at the Royal College of Art, Krystal Paniagua looks to her Puerto Rican heritage to inform her work. With previous collections featuring distressed knits which gather and bunch in different areas of the body to create a wet-look clinging effect, sexy cut-out dresses, and tight tees and tops emblazoned with seascapes, plants, and a recurring motif depicting a cockerel, her work reads like a love letter to her country’s rich history and culture. 

@krystalpaniagua

BRUNA IGNATOWSKA 

Former University of Westminster student Bruna Ignatowska’s final collection, presented as part of the institution’s 2019 showcase, saw pastel silk organza, duchesse satin, and a lot of tulle, stitched into a series of whimsical looks which played with texture, size, and proportion. Explaining that she wanted to poke fun at romantic ideals, the OTT and colourful offering was a comic take on the all-too cheesy aspects of love.

@brunaignatowska

ELLIS JAZ

Ellis Jaz’s pieces are not only beautifully constructed, but a vessel to explore the confined definitions of female beauty standards. An RCA graduate, Jaz creates what she calls ’intricately crafted erotic knitwear’ which clings to the areas women above a certain size have been conditioned to conceal, with many pieces exposing flashes of the breast and bum. Aiming to look beyond ‘sample size’, Jaz is part of a growing number of young designers exploring a new, more inclusive approach to fashion. 

@ellis_jaz