Names To Know: The emerging designers to watch out for this fashion month

There is no greater feeling than being in the know. Especially when it comes to fashion. Whilst our eyes are naturally glued to the big heritage names across the four cities during Fashion Month, there is a clan of brands that have many of us eagerly waiting for what’s next. They’re ahead of trends and in their own orbit illustrating how individuality will always reign supreme, and soon enough they will evolve from being a well-kept secret to some to being a favourite of many.

The starting point for each new season is New York Fashion Week. A city renowned for its unapologetically sharp, cutting-edge innovation and of course, its classic street swagger. On the one hand, you have the hyper-polished minimalism of Proenza Schouler and on the other, you have the downtown cool of Eckhaus Latta, its schedule is a breeding ground for creativity and cultural commentary. It’s where gritty meets glamorous.

Sandy Liang is a name that has gained inevitable popularity for its aesthetic, which plays with the soft hues of nostalgia and girlhood - it’s unapologetically feminine to its core. Inspired by the grandmothers of Chinatown, the designer has taken their silhouettes to create vastly popular pieces like the 2019 viral leopard print fleece and balanced them with whimsical short dresses. From ballet-inspired Mary Janes, which even sold out its preorder restock, to ribbon-infused collaborations with Salomon, this brand is made for the modern-day romantic.

Willy Chavarria’s namesake label has seamlessly intertwined itself in the cultural narrative, fusing political messages into a contemporary look. Drawing from his Chicano identity and overlapping that with modern streetwear, oversized dimensions and a subdued palette are punctuated with graphic text, challenging the notions of representation and the framework of masculinity. Storytelling and identity run rife in his designs with fans including Troye Sivan, Charli XCX, Lewis Hamilton and Coman Domingo.

London Fashion Week is best described as the cheeky younger sibling of the four- it understands heritage but it thrives on rebellion. With brands like Burberry bringing British countryside chic to the runway and names like Erdem and Simone Rocha revelling in poetic history and floral adornment, this city is a sartorial playground with no rules.

Taking the traditions of Savile Row to the spirit of unfiltered subculture, Central Saint Martin’s graduate Aaron Esh is reformulating tailoring from a genderless perspective. With construction and detail at the core of his design language, the London-born designer has embraced craftsmanship with an off-kilter style unveiling an array of draped dresses, leather two-pieces and sheer chests.

Other designers like Foday Dumbuya, founder and creative director of LABRUM, are also utilising the structure of British tailoring but reframing it from a more personal standpoint. Designing with the philosophy of bridging the diaspora of his West African identity to today’s uniform, he is bringing buckets of vibrant colour and prints to his collections, that revel in the culmination of childhood memories and contemporary form. Designing Arsenal’s Away kit for the 2024/25 season and bringing his touch to Sierra Leon’s Olympic Kit last summer, LABRUM is set for gold.

After Rihanna named him as her new favourite designer, everyone is now after a piece of Jawara Alleyne. Bringing a beautiful blend of his Caymanian -Jamaican background to both contextual and abstract references, his collections stem from extension research and have been given a platform by talent incubator, Fashion East, for the past couple of seasons. With a punk ethos embedded in his touch, fluid silhouettes and shredded fabric add an evocative element to London’s prim and proper landscape.

Despite being founded in 1926, KENT&CURWEN embarked on a new chapter last September. Under the direction of Daniel Kearns, its rich history in tie-making for Oxford and Cambridge University has informed its new look that captures its heritage codes and the eccentricity of British style, with modern sportswear. Think check-lined Harrington jackets, English Rose embroidered socks and striped rugby tops - an updated version of the Sloane Ranger look.

Home to polished sophistication, where the city’s storied craftsmanship is imbued with fresh perspectives, Milan Fashion Week is a celebration of European elegance. From Prada’s continual intellectual reinvention to Bottega Veneta’s exploration of texture, Italy’s capital always proves the power of restraint.

For newcomer, Ferrari, the aim is to bring the high-octane power of its automotive legacy to clothing. Since 2021, creative director, Rocco Iannone, has taken the striking red and yellow palette of the brand and translated it into collections that embody a confident blend of sporty dynamism and luxury appeal. For his last SS25 show, the designer streamlined the identity further by keeping silhouettes simple and details complex.

Bologna-born Marco Rambaldi has mastered the art of nostalgia. His label digs deep into the distinct style of 1970s Italy whilst keeping an eye on youth culture, somehow balancing the two thoroughly with a distinct expression of intricate knitwear and playful motifs. Love and individuality are two themes that run deep throughout the seasons, with Rambaldi celebrating craft at every turn of the body.

Widely recognised as the pinnacle of sartorial artistry, refined Houses like Chanel and Dior share the stage with rule-breaking visionaries like Marine Serre and Sacai. The avant-garde meets the daring, classics meets innovation and the bold is transformed into beautiful. It is a city where tradition and audacity converge with effortless poise.

After Atlein’s collaboration with Kylie Jenner’s Khy last year, many began to turn their heads towards designer Antonin Tron. His brand is focused on wearability to its highest degree, working with stretch fabrics to craft sculptural silhouettes that celebrate the female body’s movement and praise its form - it's a crowd-pleaser for all shapes and sizes.

No one does ethereal quite like Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen. Her eponymous brand has blended voluminous silhouettes, hand-finished details and sheer fabrics to create a minimalist, yet softly romantic take on contemporary clothing. Her collaboration with ASICS adorns the feet of the it-girls, her dresses have become a firm favourite for summer weddings and now she’s venturing into the mountains with a special The North Face partnership.