We won’t lie, when it comes to designers and fashion, we’re always looking for the new label or the next thing—the designer that the street style crowd and the front row haven’t quite latched onto yet. The fact remains, however, that there are hundreds—thousands, even—of up-and-coming designers, and, well, who has the time? Independent boutique owners, however, make it their business to find those labels that no one else has—and the ones that they sell are worth noting if only because they’re the ones they know we’ll like (you can trust their taste). Here, three owners of three incredibly worthwhile boutiques across the country tell us about the under-the-radar designers that we should be paying attention to (and spending our hard-earned cash on) this season. You’re welcome.
Stacia Canon
Canon NYC, New York
2/3
Antoni & Alison “They’ve been well established as independent designers in London but are very under-the-radar here. They specialize in digital imagery, and I consider their pieces to be wearable art. Their folk dress is beautiful and gives this really cool optical illusion.”
Geraldine Chung
LCD, Los Angeles
1/3
Collina Strada “Designer Hillary Taymour always has her finger on the pulse of what’s going to trend next. Her clothing is always very fashion-forward, well priced, and guaranteed to make you the coolest girl in the room.”
Diana Kim
Stand Up Comedy, Portland
1/3
Dumitrascu “Andra Dumitrascu’s debut collection is about the social (life, attitude, style) meeting the formal (technique, textile, tailoring) and the potential behind its post-modern pastiche. The one constant, connective thread is the irreverent spirit that informs clothing as performance, tracing back to couture history. But it’s here, now, and undeniable.”
