The same few designers always receive all the buzz during Fashion Week, and while all of them have earned their prestige as influential in the industry, their names are more important than the clothes themselves and outshine other designers. Too many small designers go unnoticed and are under-appreciated by the mainstream media. However, this past Fashion Week, the best emerging designers showcased their designs that are not only stunning but a testament to the changing landscape of contemporary society.

Sonia Carrasco

Sonia Carrasco is taking streetwear to a softer look, mixing multiple textures and fabrics while still maintaining the elevated craft of runway fashion. Carrasco says she attributes the movie Dune as one of her influences of this collection as evident in her flowing, straight silhouettes and neutral palette. (We’re dying to see Zendaya and Timmy in all of these looks). A standout feature of this collection is her knitting technique, but not in a “your grandma’s hobby” way. Instead, Carrasco says that her knitwear is meant to mirror the look of neural tissue and brain connections.

Tribute

Imitating the world’s shift to online life, Gala Marija Vrbanic and Scarlett Yang set out to create a brand meant for digital cyberspaces. That’s right, you can’t wear their collection, Tribute, to school but this might be the new Alexander McQueen (one of their influences) of the Metaverse. These clothes break every law of physics and reality, and it raises the question of whether digital fashion is innovative or a superficial waste of time? Co-founder Vrbanic says their line is “a totally new fashion language” created through technology and comparable to couture, but who is buying it? Literally and figuratively.

CFCL

Runway clothes should be interesting to look at, and designer Yusuke Takahashi uses this principle as the blueprint for his unisex brand, “Clothing for Contemporary Life” (CFCL). His silhouettes are uniquely shaped, looking structured yet soft and extenuating unconventional parts of the body, like elbows and knees. The collection also has some very sleek and wearable outfits with high quality tailoring and cuts. Ever cooler: the clothes are made from a computer. Wonder how much it would cost to print a new shirt from the school computers?

Miss Sohee

We had to include Sohee Park. If you don’t recognize the name, maybe you’ll recognize some of the celebrities wearing her clothes, like Bella Hadid, Cardi B, Miley Cyrus, and Ariana Grande. Sohee uses intricate embroidery, beading, and bold colors to create clothes that combine drama and wearability. Her recent F/W 2022 collection was giving haute-couture Bridgerton, creating classic, royal fashion through a modern lens. Prediction: Sohee’s designs will be front and center at this year’s ‘gilded glamour’ themed Met Gala.

Image via @Missohee - https://missohee.com/fw-2022

Robert Wun

If Miss Sohee is what celebrities are starting to wear on runways, Robert Wun is what they will be wearing on the streets. Wun makes loops, buttons and pleating to make truly one-of-a-kind clothes that emphasize form and shapes. The clothes are gender-neutral and scream streetwear. We can’t wait to see who can pull them off.

With spring fast approaching (let’s hope), these designers are bringing something fresh to the fashion industry, pairing elegant silhouettes with unexpected colors and textures. They are adding something new and different to an industry that has been isolated for the past two years — no thanks to the pandemic — and opening the door into a decade led by increased diversity, rebellion against societal standards, and a hope for social progress in the future.

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