2021 might have been one of the most challenging years in the history of fashion, shadowed by the global pandemic and resultant economic crisis. But that didn’t hampered the creativity of new designers, who emerged in 2022 as fashion’s new kids on the block. They have shown creativity and a fresh unadulterated vision — working without the pressure of a legacy to uphold or the constraint of an established design aesthetic. These new fashion designers offer fresh silhouettes that are as eye-catching as they are bold, innovative and sustainable. Here’s a round-up of rising designers to know, who we feel deserve the spotlight.
Steven Stokey
Increasingly ubiquitous on the fashion radar is British designer Steven Stokey-Daley who was awarded the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers in 2022. Founder of the womenswear and menswear brand S.S Daley, the twenty-five year old designer piqued the interest of fashion editors with his theatrical show at London Fashion Week, which explored the British class system from a queer, working-class perspective. His runway style is unique, informed by his past aspiration to become an actor; per WWD, he elevates “storytelling to an art form with theatrical performances.” “I see it as taking these antiquated, stuffy old ideas of British heritage, that often feel exclusive to one section of Britain, and offering it new life, new breath, to pull it into a modern context,” Stokey-Daley explained.
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Harris Reed
Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2020, Harris Reed‘s designs have taken inspiration from social and political issues. Reed’s work is rooted in a feeling of responsibility that fashion has to spark conversation on injustice, while embracing a vision of gender fluidity and inclusivity. Harris Reed’s show at London Fashion Week was reviewed by Vogue as a “performative phenomenon rooted in the generational values expressed through his genderless creations and the non-binary people he puts them in.” Furthermore, he won the award for ‘Breakthrough Designer’ at the GQ Men of the Year Awards 2021. This year, some of his work was selected for inclusion in the ‘Fashioning Masculinities’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Impressed by his aristocratic aesthetic drawn from the Renaissance and the Eighties, stylist Harry Lambert commissioned him to create stage costumes for singer Harry Styles’ solo tour. There was no looking back. Aside from his demi-couture collections, Reed launched home fragrances and a Fluid Basics line under his label. He has also been in the news thanks to a campaign in collaboration with Gucci, his alliance with M-A-C cosmetics on their first gender fluid make-up line, and his fluid jewellery collection with Missoma.
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Maximilian Davis
London College of Fashion graduate Maximilian Davis has a number of of standout red carpet looks to his name. The minimalist, backless black and red gown he designed for Michaela Coel garnered compliments at the BAFTA ceremony while Dua Lipa looked stunning in his creation at the British Fashion Awards in 2021. With collections that celebrate Black excellence, his Trinidadian roots, and the beauty of the human form, Davis was shortlisted as a semifinalist at LVMH Prize for Young Designers this year and is stocked by top retailers including Net-a-Porter, Dover Street Market and Ssense. Recently, Salvatore Ferragamo appointed Maximilian Davis as their creative director. “The clarity of his vision together with the level of execution and his powerful aesthetic make him one of the most brilliant talents of his generation,” Ferragamo CEO, Marco Gobbetti told W. “His work is defined by elegance, refined sensuality, and constant commitment to quality…”
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Edvin Thompson
Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, fashion designer Edvin Thompson was awarded the CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year 2021. His spring 2022 collection paid homage to his Afro-Caribbean roots by interpreting Rastafari iconography with elegance and creativity. “I wanted something very timeless and chic that reflects my family’s heritage and my cultural background in Jamaica,” he told The Cut. “I really wanted to have a conversation about artists not having a lot of resources, but drawing work from that.” His bold colorful fabrics that reference dancehall, structured looks and the models’ sculptural hairstyles caught the attention of fashion editors and consumers alike. Moving forward, Thompson wants to grow the fashion brand without losing the connection with his heritage or the sustainable practices he has built onto the design process. Recently, Thompson collaborated with the Black Fashion Fair, an e-retail platform that supports Black designers and helps sustain their businesses.
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Nensi Dajoka
Winner of the 2021 edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers, London-based Albanian womenswear designer Nensi Dojaka has an impressive resume; after graduating from Central Saint Martins and receiving a degree in lingerie technology at London College of Fashion, her fall 2022 showing at London Fashion Week made everyone sit up and take note of the underlying theme of body positivity and inclusivity. That’s not all; her collection of glamorous lingerie-based looks is cut sharply and coordinated with jackets and knitwear. Per Vogue, “Nensi Dojaka, who came to study in London from Albania at the age of 17, has put her finger on designing a sophisticated way of exposing and covering the body that’s become an immediate hit with young women raring to put lockdown schlump behind them.” There’s no stopping her if she continues to make women feel beautiful and radiate confidence, with her sleek suits, jumpsuits, body-con sweaters, jackets, little mesh dresses and red-carpet looks. After all, her collection already has an A-list clientele including Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski.
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Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
