Julia Stöcklin (female models, left & right)
Institute of Fashion Design, Switzerland
Stöcklin’s collection, conceived in a classic black and white palette, explores the concept of the fashion faux pas, as seen in an intentionally visible panty line or oversized trousers folded over at the waist. ‘It’s about subtle deformities,’ says Stöcklin. Dream collaborator: Pipilotti Rist.
‘Tie’ bench (far left and throughout), by Isabelle Baudraz, for Tectona
Evelyne Babin
UCA Epsom, UK
Babin, winner of this year’s Hilary Alexander Trailblazer Award at Graduate Fashion Week, creates bold silhouettes with colourful patterns and sculptural sleeves influenced by the traditions and lifestyles of two dynasties, Chagga and Swahili, native to her home country of Tanzania. Dream collaborator: Marc Jacobs.
Boots, £445, by Church’s
Maureen Kelly-Pain (model, centre)
Westminster University, UK
Kelly-Pain, whose technique bridges the worlds of fashion and sculpture, modelled her menswear collection on the memory of her brother’s childhood clothing. Her process is based on casting clothing in plaster, which is painted with layers of latex, then gluing these layers into garments. Dream collaborator: Craig Green.
Shoes, £170, by Geox. Socks, £14, by Falke. ‘Tie’ bench (far left and throughout), by Isabelle Baudraz, for Tectona
Eleanor McDonald
Central Saint Martins, UK
McDonald’s menswear collection, a winner at International Talent Support 2018, offers a proportion-exploring take on the suit, focusing on the torso and with trousers that flow from the waist. ‘How something feels to wear is very important,’ says McDonald, who is showing at Pitti Uomo 95 in January. Dream collaborator: Daniel Meadows.
Shoes, £170, Geox
Emilia Kuurila (model, left)
Aalto University, Finland
Kuurila’s collection, which features both men’s and women’s looks and incorporates materials such as silk, viscose satin and cotton poplin, was inspired by musician Nick Cave. ‘I was attracted to his seemingly dark character, as well as in the fading line between masculinity and femininity.’ Dream collaborator: Nick Cave.
Sandals, £575, by Manolo Blahnik
Cecilia Juarez Balta
IED, Peru
It took Peru-born Balta six months to programme the manual loom on which she constructed her wonderfully textured designs, which incorporate pearls, golden yarns, technical fabrics and rope. Balta won the Vogue Talents Awards at this year’s Milano Moda Graduate. Dream collaborator: Jonathan Anderson.
Elijah Schali/Noa Kapchitz (model, right)
Royal Academy of the Arts, Antwerp
US-born Schali and Croatian Kapchitz aimed to capture the decadence of 1920s opium dens and the artisanal skill of nomadic tribes in southern Ethiopia, with crushed velvet and threadbare knitwear sitting alongside animal-hide skirts and metal tailoring. Dream collaborator: Leather company Roban’s.
elijah.schali@gmail.com; noakapchitz@gmail.com
Shoes, £700, by Cherevichkiotvichki
Dohan Jung
Central Saint Martins, UK
Fascinated by the models of masculinity as pursued by young men during adolescence, the South Korean designer used bulges within fabric to subvert notions of form. ‘I wanted to make a joke out of my obsessive pursuit of masculinity,’ Jung says. Dream collaborator: Dimitris Papaioannou.
Rui Zhou
Parsons School of Design, USA
China-born knitwear designer Rui Zhou ascribes to the Japanese concept of ‘Wabi- sabi’, exploring the beauty in imperfections. Her colourful, clingy, ribbed knitwear designs, sporting holes and cut-outs, come in delicately knitted and bead-embellished layers. Dream collaborator: Rei Kawakubo.
