In an industry defined by its relentless pursuit of the next, these are the designers rewriting the rules of the game.
An alumnus of both Parsons and Central Saint Martins, the Swedish-born designer Petra Fagerström founded her eponymous label in 2022 and quickly rose through the ranks after winning the coveted L’Oreal Prize for her MA collection last year.
The womenswear brand has built an impressive reputation for her balanced yet intrinsically intertwined aesthetic that brings together storytelling, sustainability and reinvention. Her signature technique of lenticular pleating means that her clothes metamorphose into optical illusions as they move with the wearer. Her consistent use of upcycled, deadstock or recycled fibres in her garments has earned her multiple awards for her forward-thinking approach to fashion.
Photography by ANDREW NUDING
Photography by ANDREW NUDING
London-based brand Lucila Safdie describes itself as a label “for girls”. Centred around three main pillars – girlhood, identity and femininity – Argentinian designer and Central Saint Martins graduate Lucila India Safdie has focused her small-batch collections on exploring the many facets of growing up.
Variously inspired by the work of filmmaker Sofia Coppola, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, and, most recently for SS26, the story of the Romanov Sisters, she also reflects cultural modern zeitgeists like early blogging and Y2K silhouettes across her collections. Think frills, micro-shorts and chiffon blouses! Her strong roots in this aesthetic have led to today’s it-girls like Addison Rae, Alex Consani and Devon Lee Carlson all wearing her designs.
Photography by CARINA KEHLET SCHOU
Photography by CARINA KEHLET SCHOU
London-based label Liberowe is rewriting the rules of power dressing. Founded by Talia Loubaton, the Central Saint Martins alum channels sherwani tailoring, Parisian cinema, and razor-sharp British cut into jackets that feel both rebellious and refined. Think sculptural Nehru collars, decadent velvets, and silhouettes that blur masculinity and femininity with quiet confidence.
Each piece is crafted in London with an obsessive eye for structure and longevity, creating clothes designed not just to be worn, but to be inhabited. In a trend cycle that spins at warp speed, Liberowe offers something rarer: conviction, craftsmanship, and a new uniform for modern romanticists.
Photography by ELLIOTT GUNN
Photography by ELLIOTT GUNN
Photography by ELLIOTT GUNN
Magliano is a Bologna-born Italian fashion house that feels like a love letter to subculture and sartorial rebellion. Founded by Luca Magliano in 2016, it takes menswear fundamentals like suits, shirts and knitwear and twists them into fluid, off-beat pieces with an irreverent, poetic edge.
Rooted in Italy’s countercultural spirit and clubland energy, the label redefines the Made in Italy badge through relaxed tailoring, bold silhouettes and a dishevelled elegance that feels equal parts classic and anarchic. Its clothes are sophisticated yet unruly, echoing 1980s Italian underground life while speaking to a generation that prizes identity over tradition.
Photographs courtesy of Magliano
Photographs courtesy of Magliano
Mustafa Ahmed added designer to his repertoire in 2024 when he launched his label, Tone Deaf. The unisex brand hones in on his personal experiences growing up in Pakistan and then migrating to New York, lending itself a visual duality that he has encompassed within each of his collections.
Naturally, craftsmanship is at the very core as the designer intrinsically understands the importance of heritage, such as ajrak, a 5,000-year-old block printing tradition that takes 30 days to dye a garment, or the beaded hand-embroidery method dating back to the Mughal period. With natural dyes, fluid silhouettes and thoughtful artistry at its core, Tone Deaf is becoming a label with an obvious and sustainable purpose.
Photographs courtesy of TONE DEAF
Photographs courtesy of TONE DEAF
Oscar Ouyang exists in a lane entirely of its own. Working from a material-first perspective, the Beijing-born, London-based designer, and co-founder Yibo Chen, and transform their deep expertise in knitwear into new forms that feel both futuristic and quietly nostalgic.
Their work weaves together Eastern and Western influences –Studio Ghibli dreamscapes, Southeast Asian flora and forgotten cultural narratives – rendered through experimental upcycled textiles and consciously crafted garments. Inclusivity is not an afterthought but a foundation: the collections dissolve rigid binaries, replacing traditional gender expectations with fluid, open expression.
Photographs courtesy of Oscar Ouyang
Photographs courtesy of Oscar Ouyang