Designer: Raul Lopez

Year started: 2018

Why know it: You might know Lopez as the former co-founder of Hood By Air. These days, the Brooklyn native of Dominican descent is better known as the New York designer with a star-studded fan base that includes Asap Rocky, Rihanna and Solange.

His predilection for camp and admiration of ballroom culture and fabulous couturiers like Christian Lacroix have greatly shaped his theatrical and gender-fluid aesthetic.

While he couldn’t afford to attend fashion school, he picked up the skill to create a garment from watching his mum sew. In an interview with CFDA.com, he said: “That was my real schooling. I wanted to go to a fashion school, but I couldn’t afford it. But I learned from the best. I had a free scholarship at home.”

Pictured: Luar Spring/Summer 2022 collection

What’s next: After a three-season hiatus from New York Fashion Week, Lopez returned to the runway to present his Spring/Summer 2022 collection earlier in September. It was a hotly-anticipated homecoming, judging by the presence of stars like Lourdes Leon and Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond in the crowd.

The outing was a showcase of Lopez’s cheeky-slash-glam hood approach to fashion. His trademark athleisure pieces came in the form of sweatshirts with caped sleeves. Meanwhile, the tailoring had a subversive quality, with cutouts and garters peeking from pants and office wear worn with cropped polo shirts and ties and belts darting across the bust.

Pictured: Luar Spring/Summer 2022 collection

Designer: Edvin Thompson

Year started: 2016

Why know it: Thompson, a former intern at Amanda Uprichard and Gypsy Sport, made headlines recently as one of the three black designers invited by Lewis Hamilton as a guest at his table at the Met Gala. (He dressed male model Alton Mason for the event, BTW).

Hamilton isn’t the only A-list fan of the Jamaican-born designer though: Theophilio designs have also been endorsed by the likes of stylist Law Roach and musician Chloe Bailey.

While he proudly showcases his Jamaican culture right and centre in his designs, he told Metal magazine that he prefers to go beyond the stereotypes of “Bob Marley, jerk chicken, yellow, green and black”. Rather, Thompson prefers to build on his lived experience of growing up in Jamaica – from the emphasis on embracing the body and its curves to the use of vibrant woven knits.

Pictured: Theophilo Spring/Summer 2021 collection

What’s next: His Spring/Summer 2022 collection, titled Air Jamaica, was a love letter to his younger years. Air Jamaica – it was the island’s national airline from 1968 to 2015 – was the first airline the designer ever flew on and what he took when he immigrated to America in 2002.

Describing the collection as an “endearing example of Jamaican pride”, Thompson went big with Rastafarian motifs. The collection also possesses familiarity and comfort, with its oversized denim jackets, louche co-ord pieces and crocheted cropped shirt worn with swim bottoms. Other items such as the slinky body stockings and gowns are available as made-to-order pieces.

Pictured: Theophilio Spring/Summer 2022 collection

Designer: Peter Do

Year started: 2018

Why know it: This former LVMH Prize winner’s first runway collection for Spring/Summer 2022 was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated shows at the recently concluded New York Fashion Week.

It is an industry endorsement of the Vietnam-born Do, who worked his way from being a former designer at Celine during the Philo years to becoming a well-loved contemporary womenswear designer in his own right.

His relaxed yet refined creations, grounded by razor-sharp tailoring, possess a cool downtown elegance, and are stocked at retailers such as Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, Machine-A, Rare Market and 10 Corso Como.

Pictured: Peter Do Spring/Summer 2022

What’s next: The vibe for Spring/Summer 2022 is carefree, elegant and practical – with Do’s staples such as the four-piece suit, jeans, draped pieces and trench coats rendered in new proportions. There was a touch of romance too, as seen in the interpretation of his grandmother’s traditional ao dai which was made into a coat or the soft watercolour prints of flowers that delightfully appear on jackets and shirts.

Pictured: Peter Do Spring/Summer 2022

Designer: Kim Shui

Year started: 2016

Why know it: There is a reason why the Bella Hadid, Cardi B, Nikita Dragun and Hailey Bieber camp are drawn to this brand: its  clothes will make you feel sexy AF and look great on Instagram.

The US-born, Rome-raised, now New York-based Chinese-American designer has quite a colourful background. After graduating with an economics degree from Duke University in 2011, she landed a job in merchandising at Rick Owens and Helmut Lang.

Shui’s unadulterated embrace of the female form and brilliant use of colour means you can expect plenty of skin-baring looks like mini skirts, hot shorts and faux snake prints in her repertoire. Plus, her irreverent approach to fashion is commendable. She once described her collection to Forbes as “Ming Dynasty meets Eurotrash”.

Pictured: Kim Shui Fall/Winter 2021 collection

What’s next: For Spring/Summer 2022, Shui wanted to use fashion as a medium for unity and creativity – much-needed ideals in a fractured American landscape today. The cast was comprised primarily of models of Asian descent while the collection featured traditional Chinese silhouettes and chinoiserie jacquards and lensed through a Y2K filter (she name-checked Britney in the mood board!).

She told W magazine that her intention was to reinterpret ‘Asianness’ in the way we dress. “Fashion has a history of Western designers fetishising Eastern perspectives. Just look at Galliano. This season, I wanted to turn it around in a playful way—what if we’re taking these Western things and looking at them from an Eastern perspective?.”

Pictured: Kim Shui Spring/Summer 2022 collection

Designers: Alix Freireich, David Le and Susan Lee

Year started: 2019

Why know it: The multi-disciplinary brand is reinvigorating the way we define the retail experience in the digital age. Freireich is a Parsons-trained, former shirt and blouse designer at Ralph Lauren while Le is an academic (with a Ph.D. to boot) who went on to be an arts editor. Freireich’s former colleague Susan Lee joined the brand to work in the design and production team.

Naturally, Maiden Name melds the founders’ knowledge of tailoring and tasteful curation of artisanal and emerging brands from the art world. The curatorial objects like handblown vases and fashion merchandise are sold side by side on their maiden-name.com which feels less like a run-of-the-mill e-commerce space and more like an arty magazine.

The clothes are all designed locally and best described as contemporary with a nod to the vintage ’70s aesthetic thanks to their frequent use of patchwork and knits in the designs.

Pictured: Maiden Name Fall/Winter 2021

What’s next: Maiden Name continues to expand its design vocabulary for Spring/Summer 2022 with luscious knits and flowy dresses and skirts, done in a muted and earthy colour palette of mint green, cream and khaki brown.

Pictured: Maiden Name Spring/Summer 2022

What’s next: For Spring/Summer 2022, the brand explores the idea of tailoring and elevating wardrobe staples. The outing comprises well-cut pants, crisp shirting and separates with plenty of details. Cue a leather midi skirt with a bubble hem or a cerulean blue deconstructed tuxedo jacket with detachable zipped sleeves.

Pictured: Social-Work Spring/Summer 2022