With New York Fashion Week’s Fall 2023 season drawing to a close, what better time to spotlight the latest crop of designers and brands creating major buzz with their statement designs. Here we round up the labels that caught our eye during NYFW.
Bulan New York
Beam Ratchapol Ngaongam is a knitwear designer originally from Bangkok, Thailand and currently resides in New York City. Originally pursuing designing menswear, Ngaongam fell in love with the tedious techniques that are involved in making knitwear, and by combining this passion with his already existing knowledge in sewing and construction soon began designing 3D knitwear, launching the genderless knitwear label Bulan New York in 2020 after graduating with a BFA from the Academy of Art University.
Bulan is a one-man show and most of his designs are knit himself. His designs deconstruct and subvert our expectations of what knitwear and distressing can look like. The holes in his pieces are anything but random, intentionally placed and neatly finished, he stays away from frayed or loose yarns to keep a clean and luxurious look to his garments. Asymmetry, bright colours, exaggerated silhouettes, and excessive details of holes and wrapped pieces are always present in Bulan’s designs. His love for colourful, fun and excessive designs grew from his disdain for following the same knitwear patterns time and time again. Emotion is a large focus in the design process for Beam, he often uses bright colours and wraps to symbolize the joy that can be found in darkness and the comfort that clothing can bring us in this world.
Kate Barton
After Graduating from The Savannah College of Arts & Design in 2021 with a master’s degree in Fashion Design, Barton launched her eponymous womenswear label that combines sculpture and construction techniques to create intriguing and bold evening wear. This year, she showed her 2023 collection at NYFW expanding her designs to ready-to-wear pieces, accessories, and shoes. Barton cares deeply about the process involved in construction and design, she studies advanced techniques and makes it a point to combine unconventional materials in her garments.
Always on the precipice for what is new in textile design, her process for design always considers waste, sustainability, and innovative technology in fashion. Barton’s goal is to create social change through fashion, using cutting-edge technology and design to raise awareness for issues that affect everyone, and believes that fashion can be empowering. Through advanced techniques in draping and pattern cutting, Barton has established a bold and multidimensional ethos in fashion, where she focuses on what she can give back to the community through art.
A–Company
Sara Lopez founded A–Company in 2018, designing luxury garments and accessories in limited quantities of 144. Made from environmentally conscious textiles and traceable materials, her designs combine traditional tailoring techniques and conceptual designs that comment on queerness from a female perspective. Lopez has an intellectual approach to design and is critical of the social issues surrounding fashion and waste. Her designs offer a minimal approach to queer fashion and often reference designer collections from the ’90s to find inspiration.
Colin Locascio
Since working for Marc Jacobs and serving as the design director for the Jenner sister-duo clothing brand Kendall + Kylie, Colin Locascio established his own namesake label in 2020. His designs feature boldly printed mesh garments, acid-washed denim, textured outerwear, and graphic knitwear. A far cry from minimalism, Locascio doesn’t shy away from clashing colours and textures to inspire freedom and autonomy in fashion and always spotlights the “New York Woman” and the eclectic aesthetics that are born from the trends they set.
Tanner Fletcher
The romantic, gender fluid Brooklyn-based label Tanner Fletcher is the brainchild of Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell. Inspired by all things vintage, the design duo often references ’50s and ’70s silhouettes, featuring art-nouveau prints and styles in their designs. Made in New York City, Tanner Fletcher utilizes sustainably-sourced or upcycled textiles that often resemble household linens and drapery. Made for all genders, ages, and bodies, the inclusive label spreads the message of love in every collection.