Incredible Emerging Talent Shines at Pier 59
Represented by The Riviere Agency.
On Saturday evening, Oxford Fashion Studio presented 20 designers over the course of three shows at Pier 59 Studios. The collections ranged from eveningwear to street-style and jewelry to lingerie, including an array of both men’s and women’s fashion.
The goal for the fashion group is to highlight independent fashion designers from all over the world, giving them a platform to showcase their work. Oxford Fashion Studio has worked with nearly 700 designers, from over 70 different countries, over the past 10 years. This year, the designers showcased their work to a full-house on the NYFW runway and has launched a wholesale showroom in London supported by Joor that will open after London Fashion Week.
SHOW 1 – 5PM
Margaret Garrison
Margaret Garrison’s collection ranged from sculptural and conceptional to up-and-coming streetwear. The Maryland based designer drew inspiration from hardware, and the mechanics in functional objects; combining their properties with traditional textiles. Her detailed work assembling parts in multiples, uses the complexity of repetition to create beauty. “While most people are inspired by haute couture and runway fashion, the general public buys practical clothing” said Garrison when describing the reasoning behind her collection. In a market driven by fast fashion, Margaret uses those familiar trends and silhouettes as foundations, but incorporates fine art and sculpture to create an intersection between art and functional design.
Empire Collection
The collection titled, London Dungeon, featured a luxury mix of streetwear meets military construction. The UK-based designer, showed tailored looks for men and women with textiles ranging from iridescent silks and nylons to a beige lace suit paired with a perfectly matching leather moto jacket.
Alicia’s Designs
Resilience was the name of the collection shown by the Canadian designer that dedicated her collection to all the Residential School Survivors and Non-Survivors, the disreputable story of a corrupt schooling system in parts of rural Canada. Alicia’s mother and grandmother had endured the experience of residential school and she understands the impact and cycles it created. Her life goal is to stop this cycle, and create a new path for our children to grow, learn, and understand. These children will be our future. Today, Alicia sees strong, independent, and courageous woman who struggled and overcame this cycle. This collection will depict a strong and powerful look with the form line of First Nations Art and showcase her hand painted art with different wearable items: shoes, handbags, clothing and home decor.
All Reclaimed by P
Time stands still when you hit the state of total immersion; seducing your audience with a soulful composition of romantic fabrics adorning your skin. Attached to the unexpected. “My wish as a designer is to give every woman the premise of feeling unique and the ability to transform darkness into something magical,” said the Swedish designer flocking from Halmstead. This collection liberates you from the ordinary, celebrates independence and yields courage to be the rebel you adore. Reclaimed fabrics like chiffon, lace, silk and exclusive tulle from all over the world were juxtaposed to recycled leather adorned with chains and rivets.
Dignified Women’s Apparel
The women’s ready-to-wear line launched in 2017 by designer, Bria Evans. Evans enjoys combining fabric manipulation techniques with basic and flat silhouettes and fabric to bring out dimensions and details that the designer finds in different pieces of modern art, architecture and artificial escapes. Dignified Women’s Apparel is based off of the scripture Proverbs 31:25, “She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future,” reminding women to live a fearless and carefree life. Fabrics such as linen, cotton broadcloth, organza, and silk give this collection a continued ease throughout with pleating and asymmetrical details.
Nykwale
Nykwale is a clothing brand inspired by various beautiful African cultures. It is a brand that will make you feel bold and brave. Wearing Nykwale is more than just wearing clothes; it’s a lifestyle. To be seen, to be heard, and to be understood. Nykwale is a brand that is inspired by the freedom and artistry of millennials of today. It is a brand that was created with the intention to broaden the horizons of African culture. “Society uses African prints often; but we will never evolve if we keep using them in the same ways.” remarked the designer. This brand shows character and innovation in a way that hasn’t been done before. It is a mixture of urban streetwear, afrocentric, and just a hint of a sportswear.
Haley Manochi
The Brooklyn based designer created the 6 look collection, inspired by an American born dancer by the name of Loie Fuller, a pioneer of the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800’s. Her innovation in both dance and lighting effects was revolutionary in the art world of Paris during the time. The use of colored lighting on yards of white fabric created an illusion of the cloth changing colors as she danced. Loie Fuller’s vision and story have been extremely inspiring for this collection. Not only was she doing things that were never seen before, she was a woman with a clear idea and passion that she followed without question. Her life and artistic vision are the inspiration for this SS20 collection
Y.H.
Y.H. is a luxury sportswear brand that creates womenswear that shapes feminine bodies in a comfortable way. Designed using functional patterns, each piece is created to move. Combining high technology fabric bonding and precise pattern making, Y.H focuses on the interaction between garments and form. Color-blocking plays an important part of Y.H’s brand aesthetic, introducing different vibrant color palette combination in each collection. This collection is inspired by the uneven skyline of cities in contrast to a clear open landscape.
SHOW 2 – 7PM
Eitan Broude
The collection titled Sky, is inspired by the sky above us all. For countless generations we have looked up, stared in wonder, and drawn our inspirations down from it. Sky encapsulates the awe-inspiring feeling of pausing for a moment and lifting one’s gaze. From the rich colours to the imaginative forms, and the arresting silhouettes to the fluctuating ripples, the visuals of the day sky inspired this collection. SKY recreates the inimitable surface of the celestial sphere by using blue silk and white Neoprene.The young designer, Eitan Broude is a recent graduate from Australia’s Curtin University. The namesake brand is inspired by the diversity and intensity of the shapes, colours and volumes found in nature.
Born
Designer Kim Eunjae sought to legendary flick, Edward Scissorhands for inspiration of the new collection. Born combines traditional techniques of bespoke tailoring with modern technology to create a new form of beauty, highlighting the female silhouette with figurative elements of the portrayal of the black-suited character with the iconic scissor blades featured in the film. The collection displays an expression of dark-colored, torn-skinned beings with a sophisticated silhouette. The collection is interwoven with Kim’s personal stories and culture to display ideas and concepts with a strong artistic approach.
Haan Haan
Collection A; is completely transparent. It aims to showcase the beauty in the old and forgotten, the power of up-cycling and recycling and a little bit of imagination. The collection by Haan Haan has refrained from using any new materials, rather, using 100% recycled PET fibres. A decision made to help reduce the amount of textile waste that finds its way into landfills. These fibres have also bypassed the typical mass dyeing process saving thousands of litres of water and eliminating any use of harsh chemicals. The printing process has occurred naturally, organically and totally unmanufactured; furthering the use of disregarded materials, cotton laces have been sourced from designer waste and factory leftovers. The strong line work and graphic patterns create a sense of playfulness in an otherwise refined context. A; hopes to challenge consumers ideas of what it means to be a conscious shopper.
MICAS
Micas is a knitwear studio based in Helsinki and was founded by actress Marika Salomaa after a life long passion for knitting. The brand stands for innovative urban design and represents quality, functionality and style. The designers approach is mixing traditional techniques and materials with new silhouettes made with the best textiles, like merino wool and bamboo yarn in designing innovative multi-functional shapes and forms that fit many different body types. “My grandfather had 11 siblings and my great grandmother knitted or sewed all the clothes for all the children. When you grew out of your sweater, my grandmother unraveled it and with the same wool yarn she knitted a bigger one. This same ball of wool is today in my keeping. It inspires me through every collection and piece I design or make. This is why it is important to me to give my customers a more long lived and emotionally important piece by using the best materials, innovative multi-functional shapes and forms that fit many different body types.”
Cassia Yuan
Cassia Yuan is a womenswear brand founded in 2018 by fashion designer Cassia Yuan, based out of Seattle. Soon after graduating from the Art Institute of Seattle, the designer garnered coverage in top-tier publications after presenting collections in several different cities. Textiles of the collection presented in New York were tweed, lamb leather, wool, silk, cotton and lace. The feminine meets bold collection focused a lot on the color olive juxtaposed against black on dresses, jumpsuits, skirts, and jackets.
Beneath the Bark Jewelry
Beneath the Bark was created by Louisiana artist, Molly Taylor. The collection focuses on using locally sourced wood to create timeless pieces that truly tell a story. We focus on sustainability and helping the environment by using natural oils in our finish and giving wood from fallen trees new life. Beneath the Bark thrives to create one of a kind jewelry for one of a kind people since 2014.
Lontéssa
Lontessa is a fashion label created in New Zealand by Singapore-based designer, Tessa Bailey-Lont which launched in 2014. Deeply immersed in the rich tapestry of Maori culture and the wild, magic beauty of her native New Zealand, Bailey-Lont takes her inspiration from the lore of her people and thoughtful engagement with the sustainability of materials and the elevated life cycles of her garments. Passionate about honouring materials and practice, Bailey-Lont is proud to introduce possum fur outerwear to the globe and into the luxury sphere; leading the conversation on the conservation of New Zealand’s natural flora and sustainable hunting, not farming. Lontessa is pleased to showcase the collection titled, ‘The Hunter is now Hunted’, an exploration of wild femininity, natural grace and untamed land.
SHOW 3 – 9PM
J. Noelle Design
The Haute Chaton Collection by Jessica Noelle is a new form of bridalwear, stemmed from a deep love of Parisian grace, femininity, flirtation, class, with pops of cheek and whimsy. This collection was designed for the bride who is traditionally untraditional, quirky yet chic – the girl who has a flair for breaking the rules. Haute Chaton incorporates a selection of gowns that exude light-hearted elegance and breathless movement. It is a fusion of romantic silhouettes, delicate color, and luxe textiles including lace, silk shantung, English tulle, and velvet. Cheeky details and delicious textures create a feast for the eye and allow any bride to be the belle of her own ball.
Qi Zhou
One-of-a-kind and hand-made with an infusion of western modern and eastern antiquity. As a fashion designer, Qi Zhoi specializes in contemporary renditions of traditional Eastern couture for women. The modernized take on the styles from the designers heritage are one-of-a-kind, hand-made, and hold an increasing level of societal importance as we collectively seek to better understand one another as Americans. Most importantly, the designer wants each look to show and invoke a sense of emotion. Textiles in the collection featured a combination of silk, chiffon, velvet, satin, linen, cotton, lace, sequin and tulle.
art i
This collection is very personal to the designer, Arti, born in South Africa and currently based in Sydney, Australia. The title “The 1st Bloom” was decided as an implied metaphor of the designers 1st bloom / coming out / blooming into the fashion industry and as well as fitting well with the season of spring / summer. The 1st Bloom collection resonates with spring/ summer with its joyfulness and colourfulness. It’s like a garden of textures, blue skies, green leaves and flowers all organically sewn/ crafted together. She is specialising in high-end ready-to-wear, couture, and haute couture garments. What makes Arti really different is that, when it comes to designing she chooses to use a nonconformist approach especially when referring to pattern-making. By this she means, she uses pattern-making as a guideline to develop her garments, not the other way around. The designer worked with soft tulle and burnt polyester organza to bring her collection to life.
Lesunja
The Swiss jewelry designer from St. Moritz presented a unisex collection on the runway featuring an array of metals, precious stones and unique designs, ranging from headpieces adorned in pearls, to chandelier braclets, ear cuffs and layered necklaces. Inspired by the sea, headphones covered in gold shells and seahorses were found throughout several pieces in the collection.
Shelby Harvey
Shelby Harvey is a womenswear designer whose innovative designs showcased pieces featuring looks like mesh, cage-like skirts, crop tops and maxi length skirts. “I want women to feel independent, strong, loving, and empowered – wearing clothing that reflects that,” said the designer. She continued, “Our mission is to provide women with fun and innovative clothing that has meaning and empowers them to be the best version of themselves.”
Nonnistics
The collection titled, ERIN, is an assemblage of strong, beautiful couture pieces. The pieces are timeless and elegant yet, stylish and easily wearable. From daytime looks to red carpet pieces and with a good mix of primary and secondary colours, the entire collection is vibrant, just like sun rays merged in beauty like the rainbow. Nonnistics is created by designer Nonye Goodie-Obi, is a versatile design house from Lagos, Nigeria and designs for men, women, children, bridals as well as costumes. The structured sleeves and defined cuts, subtle movements and kind embellishments give the pieces some beautiful edginess that takes them entirely out of the ordinary to something to be longed for. From everyday pieces to outlandish, wearable art, the brand keeps pushing the limit which has won her industry recognition beautifully expressed in industry nominations and awards. The label has been worn on major red carpet events in Nigeria by the A-list Celebrities in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry including The Academy (OSCARS) member and veteran Actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.
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With love,
FWO
