Di Petsa to RUI: 5 newcomer fashion brands to watch out for!

RUI - a brand for whom the philosophy of their clothing is of great importance. The garments, designed by Chinese designer Rui Zhou, find their beauty through their imperfection, which is further exemplified through the use of asymmetrical cut-outs, draping and layering, which are part of the brand's signature look.

The brand has exhibited at NYFW three times since its inception in 2019, and has since garnered a lot of attention both in the industry and on social media. RUI now operates studios in New York and Shanghai and caters to clients worldwide. 

The young, New York-based Chinese fashion designer Rui Zhou is creating a new genre in the fashion world, particularly through her gender-neutral bodysuits. RUI's avant-garde look is not only appealing to pop stars such as Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa (with a cover by Rolling Stone) and Olivia Rodrigo, but the majority of the new generation, millennials and Gen Z, who advocate more non-binary expressions of their own identity, also find great favour with the brand.

Pierre-Louis Auvray is the designer of the brand forbiddenkn0wledge , who also interned with the Louis Vuitton design team. The merging of clothing and technology is the hallmark of his work. The designer has been working for years in the artistic area of the Yeezy brand, owned by none other than the rapper Kanye West, and has already been involved in several collaborations with Mr. West. 

In 2020, the designer who is originally from Le Mans, Auvray, presented his first collection at New York Fashion Week after winning VFiles 11 with his idea of upcycling and reusing old motorbike and car parts as a tribute to his city, an aesthetic that was close to the world of science fiction. This collection on has made Pierre-Louis Auvray an exceptional case in the fashion world and thus attracted the attention of Kanye West as well. 

Now pop stars like Doja Cat, Grimes, Tinashe and Cardi B are rocking these fantastic designs, especially for their music videos.

The Berlin fashion label GmbH was a talking point last year. GmbH offers consumers not only gender-neutral clothing but also environmental awareness and sexiness.
Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby are the creators of this fashion label. In 2016, the duo began fishing out simple leftovers and misproductions from luxury brands in a warehouse of an Italian company and designed garments out of them - with great success. After only their second collection, their label GmbH was nominated for the important LVMH for Young Fashion Designers award. Since the beginning of 2018, the label, which has a studio in Berlin Kreuzberg, has been showing its designs at Paris Fashion Week.

Euphoria starlet Hunter Schafer, Lisa from K-Pop girl group Blackpink, singer Conan Gray and pop diva Rihanna, who herself wore a denim couture coat by GmbH on the cover of the 30th anniversary issue of Dazed magazine, have all been enthusiastic about the brand. Labels like GmbH have sent a clear message to the fashion world: It is important that more labels switch to a more sustainable option as it can make a big difference to the environment.

DI PETSA, aka Dimitra Petsa, is also all about body positivity. Designer Dimitra Petsa is making waves with her signature wet-look aesthetic. Euphoria co-stars Alexa Demie and Barbie Ferreira, the Hadid sisters, Bella and Gigi, singer FKA Twigs and many more are in love with Petsa's creations, especially the "wet dress".
The designer's core pieces usually appear dripping wet and transparent - from wet-looking underwear to pee-stained trousers - sometimes even with writing such as "wet" and "holy water".

The designer developed her love for fashion at just twelve years old, when she learned to cut patterns from her grandmother. Petsa was inspired by the ocean that surrounded her home in Greece, Greek sculptures and, of course, Galliano's "wet dress" from his Spring/Summer 1986 collection titled Fallen Angels, inspired by the flu epidemic in Europe in 1803.
"I wanted to create the image of a woman who is completely wet but dressed. Then when you're in public, people actually think you're wet and taking part in a performance - something that should be celebrated and not hidden." - Petsa, during an interview with W Magazine.

The designer has already had the honour of custom making rose quartz coloured "wet" dresses for Doja Cats and SZA's music video for the radio hit "Kiss Me More".

Another designer lucky enough to have his unique creations shine in the "Kiss Me More" music video is Chet Lo.

Asian-American designer Chet Lo graduated from Central Saint Martins BA course in knitwear in 2020. In 2015, the young New Yorker first went to London to attend Saint Martin's Foundation course, where his fascination with fashion also began. After an internship at Proenza Schouler and Maison Margiela, under the guidance of John Galliano, also a Saint Martin's graduate, Lo presented his graduation collection "Cindiaria's Wife". 

In his designs, Lo combines his Asian cultural heritage with Western aesthetics. Chet Lo wants to inspire people for the future with his designs. In doing so, he integrates elements from Japanese comics, the 1950s and the classic film Barbarella, in other words: a combination of his love of futurism with classic female silhouettes. 

Since graduating, Chet Lo has been in hot demand! Thanks to the success of his first collections, Lo is now part of the group of young up-and-coming talents at Fashion East, where his debut was critically acclaimed. Lo's work has already been recognised by magazines such as Vogue, L'Officiel, W, The Face Garage, Schön, Marie Claire, Crack and Dazed and worn by celebrities including Willow Smith, Dua Lipa, Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, SZA, Zara Larsson, Micaela Coel and many more.