Top Designers To Watch: Part 2By Reine Gammo [Ladies Fashion]
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 This American label was founded in 2002 by Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, and named after the designers’ mothers’ maiden names. It is a relatively new label, which caters solely to women and saw early success by winning the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA’s) Perry Ellis Award in 2003. The designs are youthful, minimalist and sleek, featuring a darker colour palette. The Proenza Schouler look is gender-bending, sometimes sporty, occasionally mod, colour-blocked and heavy on luxe fabrics like satin and chiffon. In 2009, Proenza Schouler shoes were must-have items and the label was honoured with a CFDA Accessory award for their innovative shoe and handbag designs. The 2010 Resort collection is inspired by skating and surfing, and features lots of colour, woven design and oddly shaped wedges that are sure to make their shoes coveted for a second consecutive year. Alexander McQueen On February 11th, 2010, the fashion industry experienced a major loss with the death of remarkable design genius Alexander McQueen. McQueen is credited with helping revive the once stagnant British fashion industry. His runway shows were more like performance pieces than mere clothes showings. His designs are treasured by the stylish around the world and can be seen on numerous red carpets and celebrities. He was “one of the greatest talents of his generation,” according to Anna Wintour and nobody would argue with that assessment. In such a comparatively short career, McQueen accomplished quite a lot. He succeeded John Galliano at Givenchy in 1996 and was head designer for five years. McQueen was also the four-time winner and the youngest recipient of the British Designer of the Year award from 1996 to 2003, and Designer of the Year by the CFDA. McQueen brought a unique sense of daring aesthetics and fearlessness to the fashion scene and his influence can be seen from street style to music to pop culture (he was the one to design the now infamous Janet Jackson Super Bowl outfit that so tragically malfunctioned). The future of the label is now uncertain with McQueen’s absence, but one thing is clear: His genius can never be replaced, even with a whole design team, and one hopes that the label doesn’t suffer the Moschino fate. The Gucci Group, which owns the label, has already invested millions in it, so we can be sure that it will continue to exist, but it is a sad realization that original designs will no longer grace the world. Honourable Mentions While I have given you a short history of a very short list of great designers, I have left out obvious heavyweights like the great lady Prada, the remarkable Dior, Balenciaga, Margiela and Louis Vuitton, among countless others, but the ones I have included are some labels that are blowing up in headlines and in the fashion industry right now and the ones causing the most buzz. Maybe we’ll leave those classics for another day. |
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