SS18 report part 2 - seven brands to watch

In many ways, it’s easier to start a brand today than ever before. Online design courses, affordable suppliers, social media, and e-commerce options are available to almost everyone. However, starting a brand isn’t the difficult part. The struggles are maintaining it, building it, and standing out from the crowd.

I chose seven brands which you should take on a radar, if they played well, they soon become strong competitor for the biggest name in the industry.

1. Attico

Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio started off as consultants for brands, street style stars, and friends. (Fun facts: They're both quite statuesque and go practically everywhere together). After meeting a few years ago, the stylish Milanese pair decided to combine their classic (Tordini) and bold (Ambrosio) aesthetics in the form of their own vintage-inspired label named Attico (Italian for penthouse). Their first collection launched last February and was promptly snapped up by major e-tailers like Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion, and Moda Operandi, and quickly sold out. 

Upon perusing Tordini and Ambrosio's directional outfits from the past year, it's clear to see their style is influencing what other fashion girls are wearing and brands are designing (robes, velvet, long dresses layered over jeans, dusters, satin kitten heels, statement sleeves, etc.). 

2. Jacquemus

Simon Porte Jacquemus started his own label when he was 19. Credited with bringing a freshness to Paris’ fashion scene, his collections are deconstructed, surrealist and often ‘NSFW’.

Jacquemus takes archetypal French concepts like the Breton stripe and spins them on their head, working in the space between commercial and conceptual. He cites the Japanese brand Comme des Garçons as one of his referential points.

In 2009, one year after the passing of his mother he launched his label under her maiden name, Jacquemus. He began working at the Comme des Garçons store in 2011 to finance his business, after gaining the support of Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe .

His collections have a child-like spirit and sense of freedom, often featuring asymmetrical designs, oversized ‘stiff’ silhouettes, experimental make up and shoeless or topless models. The up and coming designer now has his own studio off the Place des Vosges in Le Marais.

 3. Off-White

American designer, DJ and stylist Virgil Abloh came to prominence as Kanye West's creative director. He has since made waves in the fashion world with his luxury streetwear label, Off-White.

After working for an architecture firm for two years, Abloh shifted his focus to fashion. In 2009, he founded RSVP Gallery, an art gallery and menswear boutique in Chicago. That same year, he joined Kanye West's creative agency Donda as creative director, overseeing projects like stage shows and concert merchandise.

In 2012, Abloh launched his first fashion brand, Pyrex Vision, which screen-printed logos onto Champion t-shirts and dead stock Ralph Lauren rugby shirts. Alongside this, he collaborated with Matthew Williams and Heron Preston as part of a collective called Been Trill.

Pyrex shuttered in 2013. That same year, Abloh launched luxury men’s and women’s streetwear label Off-White. The Milan-based brand was picked up by stockists like Barneys and Colette, and is worn by the likes of Jay-Z, ASAP Rocky, Rihanna and Beyoncé. 

4. Redemption

Redemption was founded in 2013 by Bebe Moratti, Daniele Sirtori and Vanni Laghi. Long time friends joined by the same passion for choppers, the three business partners set their sight on creating a brand, but most of all a lifestyle that unites fashion, bikes and philanthropic dedication. The brand’s DNA is very close to couture with its sophisticated looks and Rock’n’Roll references, constituting a timeless and contemporary wardrobe. The 100% Made in Italy production relies on the savoir-faire of highly specialized companies and laboratories that offer a superior service to their clients. The accessories line includes shoes and bags, belts and scarves and also an eyewear capsule collection conceived and produced in partnership with JPlus. The first Redemption Couture collection premiered in january 2017 within the parisian Couture fashion week. The brand is distributed in the world’s most exclusive stores. To sustain their creed, to transform commercial power into social progression, Redemption supports a number of charitable associations, donating 50% of their profit and participating every year to the fundraising organized by Amfar in Cannes during the film festival.

5. Krizia

One of the most old Italian brands. The ready-to-wear fashion label was established by Mariuccia Mandelli, a designer and entrepreneur, in 1954 in Milan, Italy

But have you ever heard about it?

SS18 was runway show number two for Krizia’s young designer Antonio D’Anna. Amid the model jostle of the tiny backstage space, he returned to the word experimentation again and again. D’Anna was talking about fabric, cut, and embellishment, but the Krizia project, in general, qualifies as an experiment. How do you revive a heritage label whose heritage is only remembered within Italy, and even then only by ladies of a certain age? When a brand doesn’t inspire nostalgia, returning to the codes only goes so far. Forget honoring legacies, the questions become: Are these clothes relevant to the times? Do they fulfill women’s needs in such a way that they’ll choose Krizia over a more familiar, buzzier name? D'Anna tailoring shows promise. Kimono-style sleeves gave his jackets an appealing sense of ease, as did the offhanded way a few of them were belted. He should keep moving in this direction. 

6. Re/Done

Jeans that look worn in to perfection but also hug every curve of your body are the holy grail in every girl's wardrobe, and LA label Re/Done just might have hit upon the perfect alchemy to create them. No stretch, no technologically advanced dyeing process, these jeans look like your favourite old denim friend, but so, so much better. "In order to create the perfect shape, we take the original Levi's apart and then we cut a pattern on top, so the jean becomes a modern fit," co-founder Sean Barron explained. We don't think of this as a denim brand, it's a movement we've started towards making heritage brands become relevant."Created by entrepreneurial duo Barron and Jamie Mazur, the brand was born because "all the cool chicks we knew wore vintage Levi's but had them tailored to fit better". Aside from making girls of all shapes and sizes look thinner, taller and with a better bum (what else is there?) Re/Done's jeans also eradicate the contrived strategically placed rips and tears of mass produced denim. Further to their denim domination - with men's Levi's next, but by no means last, on the Re/Done agenda - the twosome have their sights set on an interesting expansion plan.

"We are talking to lots of other brands - all the obvious brands that you could think of that have heritage kudos but not cool factor with a contemporary customer," Mazur revealed. "We are already working on developing product with them. It's not going to be a seasonal collaboration; these will be pieces that just become part of the range. Can't wait!

7. Molly Goddard

It’s been three years since Molly Goddard floated into the London Fashion scene on a cloud of tulle. And in that time, her pretty, pastel-color confections have become the cool girl’s antidote to a conventional princess dress.

Molly Goddard has achieved a BA in Fashion Knitwear from Central St Martins 2009 – 2012 followed by a MA in Fashion Knitwear also at Central St Martins London 2012 – 2014. She now lives and works in Ladbroke Grove.

She specialises in traditional hand-craft techniques such as hand pleating, smocking and crocheting. Her collections are held in some of the world’s most prestigious stockists including Dover Street Market, Trading Museum Comme des Garcons, I.T, Browns, Boon the Shop and Club 21. 

The techniques that she utilises serve to create clothes that are both delicate and fragile, but the character she designs for conflicts with the beauty of her technique, bringing a clumsy and charming awkwardness to her silhouettes and fabric combinations.