Who’s Next: The Emerging Names From Paris Who Are Retail Ready
By Angela Baidoo and Mario Abad
In a classic case of so much to do, so little time. It is a little-known fact to those outside the industry, that many of the big four fashion weeks (especially Paris) act as ground zero for the discovery of emerging talent. Often taking place as part of a PR collective showroom (where editors can visit and learn about anywhere from 5-10 new brands at a time), or independently in a hotel suite, or edgy new space.
As a key underpinning of the main goings-on of the daily show schedule, time in-between can be spent making valuable new discoveries of some of the industry’s best under-the-radar names who are set for future stardom. And while it can seem an impossible ask (slotting these appointments into already full diary’s) this element of fashion week – outside of the spectacle of hyperbolic sets, late-running guests, or identikit collections – is often one of the few redeeming experiences for many of the editors, stylists, and buyers in attendance.
So, in-between our busy Paris Fashion Week schedule The Impression did just that, taking time out to source what brands, craftspeople, and designing duos are going to be the ones-to-watch in the next year. Creating space to learn about the heritage which informs their brand story, dissecting those most obscure of references, and hearing about their plans for future expansion while winning at the financial fashion game of feast or famine.
In order to give them a platform that they may not otherwise have been afforded in such a crowded week of shows, events, and activations, we have rounded up our edit of 5 brands who we have deemed as ‘retail ready’.
Index
- Zomer
- Fruché
- Torishéju
- Nicolò Beretta
- Tribal Hotel
Zomer (Dover Street Market Paris Showroom)
The Paris-based duo consisting of designer Danial Aitouganov and stylist Imruh Asha have already made an indelible mark on the hearts of the fashion industry’s elites by featuring them – albeit versions in baby-faced form – as part of a shoot for their new collection. Veteran critic Suzy Menkes, make-up entrepreneur Pat McGrath, and pioneering Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo all got the mini-makeover treatment.
A great start for the brand who hail from the Netherlands and whose name is derived from the Dutch word for summer. Getting up-close-and-personal with the collection, you could immediately align the teams desire to want to focus on “the joy found in creative expression” and what they have designed. As strong use of vibrant colour in adaptable silhouettes is something they have perfected, making them both wearable and avant-garde. These looks, from a simple white tank to their tailored top-coats with geometric button-off panels, are a must-invest for any Zomer fans to have in their starter kit. While hand-painted leather created using abstract brushstrokes, a reference to Halloween’s Michael Myers, and a two-piece constructed entirely from wood are all keen examples of Zomer’s ability to fuse the worlds of literature, music, and visual art to great effect.
The brand will be an official part of the Dover Street Market Paris roster when the store opens in March 2024.
Fruché (The Folklore Connect Showroom)
In mid-September, The Folklore, a well-respected cultural hub for “high-end and emerging designer brands from Africa and the diaspora”, announced that they would be bringing their wholesale showroom to Paris fashion week. Showcasing 10 diverse brands across both apparel and accessories. By setting up shop in Paris, founder and CEO of The Folklore Amira Rasool, is opening up opportunities for her hand-selected list of brands to be discovered and shopped by the very global retail buyers who descend on the city seeking out those elusive designers who are going to resonate with their customers, and offer them something they can find nowhere else. And in The Folklore Connect, Rasool created an elevated brand immersion experience where a spotlight shone on designers and brands from Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Columbia, New York, and London.
The names taking part included BruceGlen, Cynthia Abila, Duaba Serwa, Florian London, Israella Kobla, Kente Gentlemen, Rendoll, The Lulo Project, and Wanda Lephoto, but it was Fruché, a ready-to-wear brand from Nigeria, who stood out. Through marrying sensuality and luxury Fruché aim to “showcase the rich, historical heritage of Nigerian fashion while challenging the cultural notion of the way men and women are expected to look and dress”.
Combining artisanal techniques with maximalist silhouettes, for summer 2024 Fruché employed knotting and draping, sheer layering, and raffia trims, while incorporating a nod to historical European dress codes.
Torishéju
Not many new designers have the pull to secure supermodel Naomi Campbell to open their first show, but that’s exactly what the guests who ran the two minutes to the Shangri-La hotel from the Miu Miu show were treated too. An unexpected yet powerful end to fashion week, and the beginning of an exciting new journey for the young designer.
Torishéju Dumi is a British-Nigerian-Brazilian designer who got her start at Central Saint Martins in London on the MA menswear course, but not content with Naomi opening her first runway at Paris fashion week, she also partnered with renowned stylist and editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson to develop the shows visual elements.
Tapping into the running themes of religion and spirituality, which can be seen throughout her work, Torishéju’s summer 2024 collection was also embedded with her “interest in cultural anthropology” (according to her Sarabande Foundation profile, from which she won a scholarship). Her emotionally charged collection contrasted beautifully with the shows surroundings (one of the Shangri-La’s great rooms), as her menswear expertise shone through in tailoring that was layered with split skirts over trousers and deconstructed with circular motifs – either cut out of shoulders or built up as a 3D detail which stood away from the body warping the silhouette – and wrapped hoops which extended upwards into the hair of the models.
Wrapping was also a key technique whose foundations lay in her Nigerian heritage, as the designer was inspired by traditional Lappa garments worn by both men and women of the West African region culminating in abstract eveningwear and reinvented daywear for a new age of invention.
Nicolò Beretta (Tranoï Trade Show)
Nicolò Beretta’s footwear designs are sculptural works of art that look equally at home at a fashion editorial shoot as they do on the shop floor. His signature slouchy boots and architectural heels have won over celebs and retailers alike thanks to a clever mix of novelty textures and statement silhouettes. Having developed this hyper-feminine and “night out” point of view since the beginning, he found a kinship in his mentor Giuseppe Zanotti, whose company now produces and distributes Beretta’s luxury footwear. His latest collection is a technicolor journey through a seductive lens that plays with feminine sensuality, reflective effects, and edgy finishing touches. The colors nod to Dan Flavin’s light installations with a palette of bright orange, fuchsia, and red blended with gold and silver metallic shades.
Tribal Hotel (Tranoï Trade Show)
Latvia-based label Tribal Hotel positions itself as a slow-fashion ready-to-wear brand with sustainability and ethics central to its business model. They use surplus materials from Italian mills and rely on skilled local dressmakers and artisans to make hand-crafted garments with a zero-waste approach. But what makes it stand out is the conceptual and artistic bent of its collections honed from the designers’ strong art education and background. The SS24 collection they showed at Tranoï is big on the brand’s signature deconstructed aesthetic with patchworks, cutouts, and “falling off” effects running the gamut. Among the pieces with the strongest retail potential are the asymmetrical crochet tops, the multi-color patchwork-effect coat, and the sheer cardigan with chain detailing.
