A/W 2011 : The Rising Stars

Tze Goh is a pretty jet-set designer – he grew up in Singapore, trained at Parsons in both Paris and New York and is now based in London. He was one of the stand-out students at last years Central Saint Martins show, and this season he’s bagged himself a spot in the Vauxhall Fashion Scout ‘Ones To Watch’ show.
His creations are sculptural, moulded and pretty conceptual – not to mention downright beautiful. And, aside from a few show pieces, they’re also utterly wearable. The white and pale yellow pieces from his minimal, cocoon-like spring collection are topping our new season wishlist, and we can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

There are plenty of designers on the circuit who are happy to turn their hand to DJ’ing when the party requires, but Mandy Coon has done things in reverse. Scroll back a few years and she was one half of NY disc-spinning duo, Two Mandy DJ’s. Then she decided that fashion’s pull was ultimately greater than music’s, and she headed off to F.I.T. to study the haute couture techniques that have become her hallmark. She bagged herself a job as assistant to Camilla Staerk and learned her trade before setting up on her own last year.
These days she’s causing quite a stir on the fashion scene stateside. Her style has a heavy gothic influence but it’s not all dark and twisted – her spring collection had a clutch of beautifully draped dresses in eye-popping red to lighten the mood. And she’s also branched out into jewellery design – an avid collector of vintage jewellery inspired by insects, she’s designed her own bug-related pieces.

Hunting for the next jewellery designer to watch? We think we’ve found him. Hailing from the land down under, Jordan Askill used to work at Aussie label Ksubi and then spent three years at Dior Homme. These days he has two passions that feed each other – jewellery and sculpture.
His eponymous jewellery line, launched in 2008, has just earned NEWGEN sponsorship, and no wonder. His wear-forever silver and gold pieces are inspired by everything from animals to youth culture, and they’re earning him die-hard fans across the globe . They’re definitely investment buys, but thankfully he’s just kicking of a lower priced line, JORDY by Jordan Askill, so we can all get a slice of the action without breaking the bank.

When Lulu Kennedy speaks the London Fashion crowd pays attention, which is why her Fashion East line-up is always closely scrutinised. This season Elliot Atkinson has made the cut, and after checking out his spring collection we’re already sold.
The young designer studied at the Edinburgh College of Art, and his award winning graduate collection was snapped up by both Browns Focus and YoungBritshDesigners.com.With just two collections under his belt he seems to have already nailed the cool, wearable style that makes us want to assimilate every piece into our wardrobes, from the leather jackets and zipped minis to the printed T-shirts and lace blouses. And we hear that the inspiration for his upcoming autumn/winter 2010 collection includes ‘ritualistic body piercing, Native American culture and the Scottish Highlands.’ We cannot wait to see how that all comes together.

The list of A-list fans who have already been spotted sporting Hasan Hejazi should give you a clue about his signature style – Kylie Minogue, Marina and the Diamonds, Paloma Faith and Nicky Minaj have all donned his dresses. And he’s inspired by the outrageous early days of Madonna’s career – so strong, super-sexy women are clearly his target.
The Manchester-born designer only graduated from the London College of Fashion last year and already he’s going stellar. His graduate collection was snapped by Harrods as part of its ‘Harrods Launches’ initiative, and for the last two seasons he’s been on the Vauxhall Fashion Scout schedule. His pieces are not for those who favour an understated style. Instead he offers up strong, bold evening dresses – and they’re coming to a red carpet near you.

Georgia Hardinge is attracting a lot of attention this season, not least because she’s the recipient of Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s Merit Award. She’s earned the honour with three collections under her belt thanks to her ultra glamorous aesthetic – her talent lies in conjuring up architectural cocktail dresses that are wearable but with a twist.
Her eye-catching, sculptural pieces are fast becoming a red carpet favourite with a clutch of pop stars and Erin O’Connor is a fan- she even wore one of Georgia’s jackets to last year’s ELLE Style Awards. And Georgia’s also proving a hit on other people’s catwalks – she was asked to create three looks for the Victoria’s Secret catwalk show back in December, decking out the angels in incredible, cage-like pieces.