L’Of f ic i eL style
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Ones to Watch
Fashion is cyclical, but these emerging designers possess the power to surprise even its
most jaded followers. Here, we list all the promising new talents you need to know
Words Pameyla CambeThe Activists
Pyer Moss
For luxury ready-to-wear with a
real message, look no further than
Kerby Jean-Raymond’s unisex
label. Through his powerful runway
shows, Jean-Raymond has bravely
tackled sociopolitical issues like
mental health, racism and police
brutality in America. More recently,
for Spring 2019, he celebrated the
experience of being Black American.
Like Telfar, Jean-Raymond was
singing this tune long before the
fashion world cared (or approved).
Now, with a Reebok partnership
and a 2018 CFDA/Vogue Fashion
Fund win under his belt, his
clothes do all the talking, and often
on famous figures like Michella
Obama, Rihanna and Dua Lipa.TelfAr
Telfar Clemens doesn’t call himself an
activist, but his work as a designer is
bringing change to fashion nonetheless.
Inclusivity, which only became cool in
the last couple of years, is what Telfar’s
eponymous brand has been advocating
since it was founded in 2005. That, and
his winning the 2017 CFDA/Vogue
Fashion Fund, have made him only
more relevant today. More people are
buying into his genderless clothing and
his “Shopping Bags” (when they aren’t
sold out). Now a highlight of NYFW,
the concerts he throws in lieu of runway
shows reinforce the idea that Telfar
is built on a diverse community – as
fashion should be.BeThAny WilliAMs
Creating sustainable clothing still means
you’re creating more clothing – something
that Bethany Williams was wary of when
joining an industry responsible for massive
waste. Her solution: limited quantities
of streetwear garments made only from
recycled materials, tied with the mission
of giving back to the community. For each
collection, the British designer works with
different nonprofit organizations from
around the world – women’s shelters, drug
rehabilitation communities, prisons – and
later donates a portion of the collection’s
proceeds to them. While highlighting
underlying issues in society, Williams is
creating a blueprint for actually sustainable
fashion for others to follow.