Up-and-coming Menswear Designers You Should Know
Agi & Sam founder Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton met while interning at Alexander McQueen and decided to start their label in 2011 after struggling to find jobs in the industry. Their gamble has paid off, with the duo introducing a successful capsule collection for UK street retailer Topman earlier this year.
It’s rare to find duo designers leading successful menswear brands -Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana; Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Kenzo immediately come to mind – but the designers behind Agi & Sam have shown over the years that they can retain a strong and cohesive vision for their brand.
Agi & Sam is known for its signature bold prints and bright hues. Their fun colour scheme doesn’t take fashion too seriously and injects a bit of ironic humour. Their aesthetic evokes comparison to Paul Smith, although the designs are more quirky, irreverent, and targeted to a younger audience.
Up-and-coming Menswear Designers You Should Know #2: Fanmail
Although New York-based menswear brand Fanmail didn’t show at New York Fashion Week 2014, its wearable designs and focus on sustainability got the attention of New York Times. The up-and-coming menswear brand is fairly new, having launched in 2013, but designer Charlie Morris has been dipping in and out of fashion for some time
What we like about Fanmail – aside from its minimalist designs and attention on detail – is its blend of function and sustainability. Morris has said his clothes are meant to be worn, not just looked at. On top of this, he strongly believes in balancing cost and environmental considerations, stating that “sustainability and transparent manufacturing has to be an added bonus, not an added cost” for consumers.
As consumers continue to put money into brands that take into account social and environmental costs, we have no doubt Fanmail will continue to be a trailblazer in the sustainable fashion industry
Up-and-coming Menswear Designers You Should Know
SEH Kelly
SEH Kelly founder Sarah Kelly gained valuable experience in the high-end couture houses on Saville Row, and her own brand epitomises all that high-end tailoring should offer: luxurious fabrics, precise cutting and a classic style for the everyday man. Ms Kelly and her partner Paul Vincent aim to make the rag trade more accessible by using high-end fabrics on casual jackets and shirts; the result is a brand that brings out the best of raw materials without compromising aesthetics.
SEH Kelly also makes some fantastic accessories, like their ventile cotton porkpie hats which belong in every gentleman’s wardrobe. From the cotton mills to the button makers and pattern cutters, the brand sources everything from the UK and is proudly British. SEH Kelly is an up-and-coming classic British menswear brand to look out for.
sUp-and-coming Menswear Designers You Should Know
ADO LES SCENTS
Korean born and raised designer Hyun Yeu may have started ADO LES SCENTS several years ago, but he’s only recently attracted attention as an up-and-coming menswear designer. The brand focuses on innovative shapes and fabrics and is pushing an androgynous agenda in menswear. The Netherlands-based brand was recently nominated for the prestigious International Woolmark Prize, so watch out for this menswear designer in retail stores near you.
On the International Woolmark Prize website, it says: “Hyun Yeu believes that young men today have outgrown the kind of mass stereotyping known from earlier decades, and whilst he doesn’t think men should wear skirts or complex drapery, they can still show their vulnerability. Hyun Yeu says ADO LES SCENTS is utterly contemporary but taps into what he considers as timeless style.”
Up-and-coming Menswear Designers You Should Know #5:
Kit Neale
If Andy Warhol were alive today, he would approve of British designer Kit Neale’s unashamed worship of pop culture. The brand was launched at London Fashion Week in 2012, and is now presented in the London Collections: Men at London Fashion Week. Kit Neale’s designs may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying that this menswear brand has big potential to make it big.
Vibrant prints with abstract references are a hallmark of this designer – in fact, all the prints are designed in-house so you can be assured you won’t find anyone else wearing the same thing. Beyond the colourful prints is a menswear designer that understands that you can’t take fashion, or life, too seriously.
Are there any other designers you think should below to this ‘Top Up-and-coming Censwear Designers You Should Know’ list? Let us know in the comments section below.