Designer Discovery: Gudrun & Gudrun

[all photos via Gudrun & Gudrun]

Speaking of knits, there's nothing more ethereal than the stunners I came across from label Gudrun & Gudrun. Founded on one of the 18 tiny Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway, it's no surprise that Gudrun & Gudrun does traditional Faroese hand knits beautifully. But it's the avant garde designs that have grabbed a hold of me: mohair and alpaca open weaves that seem more suited to the streets of Paris and Stockholm than the hills of rural fishing villages.

Designer Discovery: CFDA Award-Winner Rosie Assoulin

all photos by Sophy Holland, TM 2014, RMA Brands LLC & Wildflower Brands LLC [via Rosie Assoulin]

If you haven't gotten to know Rosie Assoulin yet, it's time you did. On Tuesday, the young New York designer took home the CFDA Fashion Awards' Swarovski Award for Womenswear, which recognizes emerging designers, alongside Menswear winner Shayne Oliver for Hood by Air and the ladies of Mansur Gavriel for Accessory Design.

Having launched her label with a Resort collection in 2014, Assoulin has flown somewhat under the radar until now, especially when compared to fashion darling Mansur Gavriel. Yet, Assoulin's feminine, structured pieces have already found a home in some of the country's most exclusive stores, including Louis Boston, Kirna Zabete and Bergdorf's. With the CFDA Award now in her pocket, Assoulin is set to step straight into the spotlight. 

While Assoulin's latest collection for Fall 2015 is stunning, full of textured wools and velvets, it's this year's Spring/Summer looks that have me feeling inspired as temperatures begin to rise. Take a look...

A Modern Take on African Textiles from Impala

[all photos courtesy of Impala]

Now that the U.K.'s big names have taken the stage at London Fashion Week, let's turn our attention to another British label that's been flying under the radar since it's November launch. Impala is the brainchild of Yaw Acquah, a second-generation Ghanian who infuses high street style with the vibrant colors and bold patterns of African textiles.

"The idea for the company came fully formed when I started to notice I would get a really positive reaction every time I wore a traditional African print shirt," Acquah said.  "The problem was that, as great as the patterns were, the fit of the clothes really didn't tie in with what was current."

Designer Discovery: Maya Bash

all photos by David Meskhi [courtesy of Maya Bash]

A new city means a whole slew of new designers to discover, and Tel Aviv's Maya Bash caught my eye with her slouchy silhouettes and neutral color palettes. Bash represents an Israeli design aesthetic that's impossible not to recognize whilst browsing Tel Aviv's boutiques, one that's far more Northern European than American (think Ann Demeulemeester) and a refreshing change from what I'm used to.

Since launching her label in 2005, some of Bash's most interesting projects have come in the form of collaborations with multidisciplinary artists, including a short film with director Max Lomberg and an illustrated catalog with painter Anna Lukashevsky.

The project seen here comes courtesy of German photographer David Meskhi, who interpreted Bash's Autumn/Winter 2010/11 collection with images of Georgian gymnasts.

Designer Discovery: Ana Ljubinković

[all photos via Belgrade Fashion Week] 

It's Belgrade Fashion Week. What, you didn't know? Okay, I admit the news would have passed me by if not for a Serbian friend who traveled to the city recently and introduced me to the work of mega-creative designer Ana Ljubinković.

While little known stateside, Ljubinković has made quite a name for herself in her native Serbia and opened Belgrade Fashion Week last night in celebration of a decade in the business. Inspired by antique pilasters, Gothic towers, and Romanesque windows, the Spring/Summer 2015 collection that she presented was full of delicious pastels and three-dimensional elements.

Designer Discovery: Claudia Li

all photos courtesy of Parsons The New School For Design [via Style.com]

The wonderful wormhole of Pinterest recently led me to Claudia Li, whose graduate collection for Spring 2014 was a standout among her classmates at Parsons. The voluminous cocoons Li sent down the runway may not be all together wearable, but they exhibit a pairing of drama and simplicity that's rare to find among fashion veterans, let alone students.

Designer Discovery: We Are Islanders

I'm loving new Irish label We Are Islanders, which debuted just over a week ago at The RHA Gallery in Dublin with it's collection, "Tidal."

Pushing the envelope of the hipper-than-though heritage trend, We Are Islanders lends a contemporary twist to traditional Irish fabrics, infusing them with modern details. Materials like beetle finished Wexford linen and Tipperary wool pair with newer sustainable fabrics like bamboo silk and salmon leather skin, resulting in some utterly inventive yet classic pieces.

Designer Discovery: Daisy Balloon

 

all images ©daisy balloon [via Daisy Balloon Diary]

Putting clowns everywhere to shame is the Japanese team of balloon artist Rie Hosokai and art director/graphic designer Takashi Kawada, known collectively as Daisy Balloon. Elevating a simple party trick into a true art form, the duo has displayed their imaginative inflatables in galleries worldwide.

The three dresses above are only Daisy Balloon's most recent work, having released a book in 2011 that I'm itching to get my hands on...

Designer Discovery: Wamhouse

POPRAWIANY armchair by Wamhouse

Inspired by the natural surroundings of its studio in northern Poland, Wamhouse has been designing some pretty wacky and wonderful furniture since its inception in 2005. Established by a graphic designer/photographer and a civil engineer, the design firm shies away from what they call an academic approach to design, taking a fresh look at architecture, interiors and furniture design.

Designer Discovery: CUCHARA

image courtesy of CUCHARA

At once edgy and elegant, CUCHARA is the brainchild of Edi Caneda. The young Toronto-based designer names '90s pop, grunge and hip hop among her influences, and all are on display in her colorful collection of jewels.

Pairing both faceted and uncut stones with gunmetal chains and spikes, Caneda's designs call to mind those of Lizzie Fortunato and DANNIJO. Fortunately for us, though, there's a pretty significant difference in price point, with handmade CUCHARA pieces topping out at $250.

The label's recent launch stateside has set my expectations high that we'll be seeing plenty of pieces in stores soon. Until then, you can find the collection at CUCHARA's website and locally at Recess in Winchester.

The Casati's by Graham Fan

[via Not Just A Label]

Graham Fan is an incredible young talent who graduated Central Saint Martin's just this year. Born in Canada of Chinese heritage, the designer drew from both Eastern and Western traditions for his debut collection, "The Cassati's."

In bold sapphire and ethereal white, the collection imagines the designer's muse - eccentric Italian heiress Marchessa Casati - as a visitor to China in the early 20th century. Fan combines traditional Qing dynasty costumes with Casati's European couture to stunning effect, updating the pieces with a heavy dose of beading, leather, suede and even laser-cut plastics. The photography isn't half bad either. Click through for more.

Designer Discovery: CJY

[all photos via Not Just A Label]

Wearable? Maybe not, but no one can ever accuse London label CJY of being boring.

Having graduated from Central St. Martins just this year, the designer refers to herself as only CJ, though I think I've identified her as Chun Jie Yao. (Thanks, interwebs!) Inspired by ancient musical instruments, CJ has named her seasonless 2012 collection "Wood Be," interweaving knits and crochets with wood to form visually arresting shapes.

Designer Discovery: NKWON

 NKWON S/S11 Collection [images via NKWON]

Let the Alexander Wang comparisons begin! NKWON is a Korean-born, New York-based designer who mixes sophistication and urban edginess in a way that very much recalls the CFDA award-winner.

Modern shapes, geometric cutouts, infinite wearability - check, check and check. NKWON's designs are a bit more feminine than Mr. Wang's, but they still retain that air of downtown cool. And Wang-like or not, there can never be too many options for achieving this kind of edgy simplicity.

Designer Discovery: Kermit Tesoro

[images 1-3 via au courant daily; image 4 via designboom]

Wowza! Who is this guy? Until a few days ago, the only Kermit I was familiar with was of the fuzzy green variety.