6 designers that are one-to-watch at New York Fashion Week

As New York Fashion Week kicks off today, these are the designers we’re keeping a close eye on

After the floaty etherealism of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Fashion Month kicks off in earnest today in New York City, delving straight into the edgy, risk (and fun)-filled looks and attitudes that the city is famous for.

The heavyweights of the week specialise in an All-American classic look, but the new kids on the block are straying away from the Caroline Herrera/ Michael Kors-esque aesthetic.

Completely trend-setting, and yet as outrageous and dramatic as they come, the new set of New York designers are making us very excited for AW20. Want to know who you’ll be wearing this time next year? Here are 6 ones-to-watch for this year’s Fashion Month.

Khaite

Street-style favourite Khaite has become a fast favourite on Instagram, after it was favoured by actress Katie Holmes in her recent style resurgence.

Remember the cashmere bra/cardigan situation? Yep, that was a Khaite set.

Statement dresses in plaid and tulle, plenty of ’70s inspiration in colour and texture, and a healthy dose of puff sleeves made Khaite’s SS20 collection one to immediately emulate. What will AW have in store?

Rodarte

Rodarte’s SS20 collection campaign went viral last year, featuring fresh-faced celebrities like Lili Reinhart, the HAIM sisters and Maggie Rogers as you’d never seen them before.

Soft-focus, classic feminine beauty paired with the fluttery dresses of dreams made their campaign an instant classic, and had us waiting with baited breath for Rodarte’s next collection.

This label is quite literally what dreams are made of. No amount of pastel-coloured tulle, floral embellishments and sparkly finishing touches are enough, and we love them for it.

Christopher John Rogers

One of the most talked-about young designers of last season, Christopher John Rogers’ daring looks have earned him some of Hollywood’s most fashion-forward names as fans.

Just recently, Lil Nas X rocked up to the American Music Awards in a neon green, cropped ’80s-look suit — he’s never one to shy away from the sartorial spotlight, and neither is this label.

Blazing a new path in evening wear, where no colour or silhouette is deemed ‘too tacky’ to wear with gusto. Tacky doesn’t exist in this world, and it’s a total breath of fresh air.

Proenza Schouler

Proenza Schouler may be considered seasoned professionals on the New York fashion scene, but their consistently fresh designs mean that they are never far from our attention during Fashion Month.

Consistently giving us some of the it-items of each season (this past year, chunky has been the name of the game, in boots, earrings and accessories), Proenza Schouler combines classic pieces with fresh silhouettes and accoutrements, giving a new meaning to a capsule wardrobe.

Prabal Gurung

After just over ten years in fashion, Prabal Gurung, a Singapore-born, Nepal-raised designer, is an expert in making fashion waves.

His SS20 collection, filled with fun, colourful beachwear and printed dresses, also had an underlying message of protest. During the finale walk, many of the models famously wore sashes with phrases like “who gets to be American?” across their chests.

Gurung, who, along with his charity work for underprivileged children in Nepal, is highly socially conscious, pairs it effortlessly with fun, colourful designs. We can’t wait to see the message of his latest collection.

Olivia Palermo collection

A name all of us are familiar with, one of the original 21st-century fashion cool girls is finally launching her eponymous collection at NYFW.

Olivia Palermo is something of an enigma in the fashion world, famous mainly for her impeccable style, but doing little in terms of speaking or creating in fashion. Her last foray into design, a collaborative line with Karl Lagerfeld just before his death, was just a warm-up to her long-awaited own line, launching this week.

Palermo has shared a couple of sketches ahead of the launch, and no doubt all eyes will be on the runway come her first showing on February 13.

Photography: Jason Lloyd Evans

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