Demna Gvasalia
Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia
studies the everyday and the
pedestrian, wryly observing and
translating consumerism while
bringing his generation’s take on
culture and society to bear at both
Vetements and Balenciaga. At
the latter, he instills the house’s
namesake volumes and grace into
harder-edged, urbane sportswear
that’s not afraid to tackle riskier
themes—while proving mightily
influential with new-ground
concepts, from “ugly” sneakers
and eccentric styling to challenging
the very notion of what is or isn’t
considered good taste.Emily Adams Bode
Based in Manhattan’s Chinatown,
Emily Adams Bode has risen
through the ranks in recent years
with her sensitive examinations
of American traditions of craft
and her quiet, clever approach
to sustainability and non-
disposability. Her pieces—often
made from vintage textiles—
capture all the charm and thrill
of finding a treasure box of
your grandparents’ clothes in a
sun-dappled attic, while Adams
Bode’s inventive reuse and
upcycling elevate what could
be mere sentimental nostalgia
into future-defining concepts. As
her label has grown, she’s also
started to develop reproducible
items to meet customers’
demands—but, as she has said,
“I’ll never not do the one-of-a-
kind stuff.”Kerby Jean-Ray mond Pyer Moss
The Haitian-American designer Kerby Jean-
Raymond, who heads up the New York City–based
label Pyer Moss, has made it a point to determine
his own way of working—by limiting his shows,
curating his releases, and questioning both
overarching social issues and why the fashion
system functions in the way it does. Posing (and
answering) such big questions will no doubt be
a part of how the industry’s leaders work going
forward. As for Jean-Raymond? He foresees “a
space where creators from all walks benefit by
SEPTEMBER 2019 VOGUE.COM actively using fashion to tell their personal stories.”
26420 for 2020 (and beyond...)
Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta Eckhaus Lat ta
Eckhaus and Latta’s bicoastal label—already the subject of a Whitney
show—could be described as community-minded clothing company
meets art house, with looks that play with experimentation and a
constituency that includes communities not previously acknowledged.
To them, clothes aren’t about status or exclusivity, but meaning.