The 8 Emerging Designers You're About to See More of in 2023
Thanks in part to social media, coming face-to-face with a new label doesn't even require you to get up off the couch since platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok are flooded with inspiration at every turn. As an avid user of all three, I've racked up a healthy list of the new and new-to-me fashion brands that I've discovered and simply won't shut up about. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the below eight names are going to have a major year in 2023.
How do I know this? Because I keep hearing about these names from fashion's most influential insiders and have been seeing some of the most stylish women I know wearing them. What's more, they've each earned backing from leading luxury retailers in some way or another, whether it be jewelry line JiaJia landing a spot in Net-a-Porter's coveted Vanguard program or Moda Operandi's Lauren Santo Domingo adding a crochet skirt set from Diotima to her own closet. A celebrity endorsement doesn't hurt either. in the case of Halfboy, its shearling-lined coat earned a spot in Kendall Jenner's Aspen-bound suitcase. All evidence aside, the clothes simply speak for themselves.
Scroll down to discover what makes each of these emerging fashion brands so notable, and prepare to fall in love with them just as much as I have.
If the romantic silhouettes crafted by Brooklyn-based Tae Park don't make you feel moved to your core, I'm not sure what will. After sharpening her design skills at Coach, Proenza Schouler, and Orseund Iris, founder Taehee Park finally launched her brand in late 2020 and promptly earned plenty of adoration from influencers and was stamped as a 2023 name to know by Moda Operandi. The label is home to striking pieces that celebrate the female form, including a strapless top with an under-bust cutout and a poplin number with a generous collarbone-framing neckline, all filtered through the lens of Park's love of vintage and her Southeast Asian upbringing.
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In Plato's ancient Greek philosophy, there's a concept called Diotima's ladder, from which the brand derives its name. It's essentially a metaphor for the continuum of desire—from its most basic form, lust, to its most enlightened, the love of love itself. And enlightened is indeed how I'd describe Rachel Scott's vision. Just shy of two years old, Diotima is the designer's tribute to her home country, Jamaica, and a dialogue with the rich history it's steeped in. Like much of the collection, the artful crochet that has become its cornerstone is all made in Jamaica with a particular emphasis on supporting artisanal communities.
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For a brand that launched in the middle of a global pandemic, the sheer crystal-netted dresses and slinky draped numbers that have become Interior's style signatures are hardly destined for an indoors-only lifestyle. The label, founded by industry vets Jack Miner and Lily Miesmer, has already managed to get insiders completely abuzz about its certifiable cool-girl aura and counts an ever-expanding list of celeb fans including Ashley Graham and Hannah Bronfman.
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Confession: I didn't actually find Marlies Grace—it found me. Normally, I'd be the one seeking out exciting new talent to feature, but when the brand slid into my DMs last month, I knew I needed to learn more. Named after founder Verena Martin's mother who was, according to her, "elegant in everything she did and wear," the newly launched label brings that soulful feeling you can only get from shopping one-of-a-kind vintage into the present day. Indeed, Martin collaborated with vintage expert Mariana Vergara of Merci, C'est Vintage to imbue the line with that heirloom quality, which you can see in items like the cinched-in blazer and drop-waist dress that offer the perfect 2023 updates to beloved silhouettes of the past.
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Buzzy eveningwear label Des_Phemmes is single-handedly changing what party attire looks like. The Milan-based brand has captured the slinky, sexy allure of the '90s-supermodel era with its hyper-embellished miniskirts, strapless dresses, and suits that are all surprisingly chill.
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If brands like Toteme, SIR, and The Frankie Shop are your sartorial North Stars, then trust me—you're going to want to get in on the irresistible tailoring of Beare Park. The Australian talent is less than two years old and already proving itself to be one to watch with its refined mood and sophisticated takes on minimalism. Its maxi coat is already rising among the ranks as a season definer, and Moda Operandi's Lauren Santo Domingo just featured seven ways to wear it in her segment for Vogue's #VogueRewear challenge.
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Jia-Jia Zhu used to collect the beautiful stones she found on the beaches in California as a child, and her fascination with them has never wavered. Created for "all the lovers of our planet," Zhu's eponymous jewelry line JiaJia marries the beauty and power of crystals with a fashion-person perspective, and it's this unique lens that earned the brand a coveted spot in Net-a-Porter's Vanguard program at launch. It has since found a spot in the assortments of retailers such as Saks, Moda, and MatchesFashion. Each stone you'll find here is hand-selected for its uniqueness, and the crystals are all-natural, uncut, and untreated.
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Kendall Jenner has an enviable jacket collection that spans collectible North Face puffers to *that* Loewe puffer bomber. Her latest addition? A shearling-lined style from up-and-comer Halfboy. Jenner wore hers in the most casual way with relaxed jeans, boots, and a tonal scarf while on a snow trip to the mountains. That easy-to-wear ethos resides throughout the rest of the collection in cool statement jackets that basically do the styling legwork for you. High on my own wish list is a boxy suede style adorned with silver studs.
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Up next, discover 5 Black-owned brands and the It item that put each of them on the map.
Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.
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