As the SS22 womenswear season kicks off in NY today, these are the emerging talents to keep an eye out for
After a year and a half of digital shows, New York Fashion Week is back and ready to make us feel something. From the slew of designers who left the city for Paris slinking back onto the schedule (we’re looking at you, Thom Browne, Moschino, and Tom Ford), to Dazed faves Collina Strada, Luar, Vaquera, and more, URL is shifting back into IRL – and lord, are we ready for it. Seems like most are taking things big, too, with LaQuan Smith opting to show his latest collection on top of the Empire State Building and in the process becoming the first designer to do so.
If there’s one thing we can count on in New York, it’s the fact there’s also no shortage of young talent making moves in the fashion industry. Designers from around the world have long flocked in the direction of the city – and this season, maybe more than ever, the CFDA is welcoming them with open arms. From Private Policy to Social Work, Conor McKnight to Elena Velez, we’ve rounded up a bunch of the rising stars who should be on your radar.
ELENA VELEZ
She may have only graduated from Parsons in 2018, but Elena Velez has already racked up an impressive list of celebrity fans. Charli XCX, Kim Petras, Rico Nasty, Solange Knowles, and Grimes have all worn her signature looks, which mix deconstruction with classic elements of femininity such as corset boning and super-sheer fabrics with hardcore hardware.
For Velez, collaborating with local craftspeople is also essential to the brand. “A lot of exciting and organic interactions manifest back home in Milwaukee amongst local friends of the brand who typically specialise in traditionally blue collar trades,” she tells us. “Filtering their work through a high fashion context leads to some really unique and meaningful outcomes.
SOCIAL WORK
Italian-born, Shanghai-raised designer Chenghui Zhang studied at Parsons before working at some of the American brands like Helmut Lang and Ralph Lauren. In 2018, she decided to launch her own line with a focus on subversive basics with a vintage sensibility. Think draped slip dresses layered over plaid pants, or patchworks striped silk dresses cut in asymmetric shapes and you’ve pretty much got the idea.
More recently, the brand has been focusing on motifs of surrealism – namely, Dali paintings and Russian matchbox prints. In particular, the designer is emphasising the rose as an icon, which has been reinterpreted by different artists over and over again, pulling out its shape and using it for embellishment, trims, and more in her upcoming SS22 collection.
CONOR MCKNIGHT
During the pandemic, Conor McKnight established his business from his bedroom, cutting, sewing and conceptualising pieces that towed the line between performance wear and streetwear. The designer takes traditional everyday pieces and workwear staples like trousers, topcoats, and raglan jackets and reimagines them, adding fleece shearling, water resistant components, and luxury fabrics.
His work is deeply informed by his upbringing in Washington DC, where vintage sportswear was incredibly popular in his youth. He also takes inspiration from exploring the boundaries of normality and luxury as a young person of colour.
PRIVATE POLICY
So devoted to New York City is the burgeoning label Private Policy, that designer Siying Qu says the very streets are at the core of the aesthetic of the brand. “Not only does New Yorkers' style intrigue us, but what they think about and discuss also inspires us,” Siying Qu explains. “We look into current events or social issues, like a newspaper outlet. Finding a topic we are passionate about becomes the starting point for a collection.”
In recent seasons, the brand has explored everything from 1800s Chinese railroad workers in America to the oldest community garden in NYC, sparking a range of styles from simple graphic tees to asymmetric leather skirts and button-downs with illustrative imagery. The brand considers each piece a talking point for a community discussion or social issue. “Fashion is powerful, and we want the power to be used in solving real issues,” adds Lopez.
A--COMPANY
Sara Lopez launched A--Company in 2018, inspired by the idea of reconstructing modern and classic pieces from a new prescriptive, approaching critical theory, queer studies, and simple everyday gestures. “I’m interested in the modern wardrobe and its purpose in society,” she explains of her oversized genderless denim jackets and button-down shirts, many of which feature asymmetric plackets and collars that appear to have gone slightly askew.
Lopez exclusively designs and manufactures her pieces in New York City, which is becoming more and more of a rarity today. The brand also makes each piece in editions of 144. “My goal is carve out a new space for analytical and artful dress within a collaborative and sustainable model,” she adds.
WILLY CHAVARRIA
To see Willy Chavarria’s work is to absorb a certain niche of New York Style. The designer worked for Ralph Lauren and previously had his own menswear store called Palmer Trading Company in New York City before launching his namesake label in 2015. One of his biggest goals is inclusivity and the total seamless integration of fashion and race, politics and sexuality – incorporating Chicano influences and showing a side of Latino culture as a Mexican-American designer.
With a focus on fluid streetwear essentials like track jackets, sweats and white tanks, he turns the everyday into something a lot more thought-provoking – garnering fans in the form of Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga as he goes.
HEAD OF STATE
Taofeek Abijako founded Head of State in 2016, when he was just 17 years old. The Brooklyn-based Nigerian designer came to the US in 2010 and was partially inspired to launch his fashion line because he grew up with a father who worked as a designer. Abijako started out by making pieces for friends and family, eventually launching his line due to rising demand.
Drawing inspiration from a mix of traditional West African garb and utilitarian sportswear, Abijako wants to tell stories within fashion that haven’t been told before. “We try to create new dialogues which explore the nuance in stories, relationships and everyday activities between people in the community I’m from,” he explains. “I’m very fascinated with the intersection between art and everyday social relationships in marginalised spaces, since I was first exposed to it at my dad’s studio back in Lagos. Material study, evolving conversations, and research into the historical contexts that shaped these spaces are the foundations upon which I’m building this story.” There’s also a charitable component of the brand, with a portion of proceeds funding ongoing projects in Nigeria and locally within the community.