ON THE VERGE

THE MOST EXCITING UP-AND-COMING DESIGNERS TODAY ARE CHANGING MENSWEAR IN SUBTLE YET SIGNIFICANT WAYS.

- JEFFREY YAN

Over the past few years, menswear has gone through an interesting shift. Formerly cult labels like Wales Bonner, Martine Rose and Willy Chavarria have hit the mainstream, making room for even more emerging labels and designers to take their place as insider favourites. The ones we’ve spotlit here have made their name by doing things their own way. While the rest of the industry was riding the sportswear wave, they focused on luxe tailoring, a new kind of masculine elegance, and couture-like craftsmanship. They also bring to the table new perspectives that are not based on fashion’s usual Euro-centric experiences. A couple of them have even found success by basing their studios outside the established fashion capitals of Paris and Milan; one of them does work in Paris, but mines his lesserrepresented Middle Eastern heritage to spark a deep and thoughtful dialogue between East and West. Here are the designers you need to know now.

FENG CHEN WANG 

If you love: the romance of Dries Van Noten, but with more whimsy

Hailing from Fujian in China, Feng Chen Wang has been steadily making her mark on the international fashion scene, first with shows in New York supported by VFiles, and then in London under Fashion East, before staging her first standalone show in Paris for spring/summer 2018.