Denim labels to know now

Faustine Steinmetz

East London’s Faustine Steinmetz (shortlisted for the 2015 LVMH Prize) deconstructs used denim to painstakingly piece together a unique fabric — that from a distance looks like denim but up close, is a feathered version. The threadbare jacket and jeans duo are the Noughties-obsessed, artisanal babe’s version of the Canadian tuxedo.

Faustinesteinmetz.com

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Bliss And Mischief

For a taste of Americana, go to Bliss and Mischief. Founder and designer Hillary Justin was inspired by the desert, the giant cactus in her backyard and Joshua tree, which have all been translated into vividly embroidered denim with plenty of Western kitsch — desert roses and Navajo motifs are stitched on to vintage stock and fabrics.  

Blissandmischief.com

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Korra

Korra founders Mia Morikawa and Himanshu Shani (from 11.11/eleven eleven) along with Shyam Sukhramani and Rajesh Jaju believe that the brand stands for a conscious choice. Each pair of Korra jeans is made by a single tailor and by choosing only organic or recycled materials, the stress is less on trends, so the fits go from slim skinny to curvy straight in Italian or Indian selvedge.

Korra.in

You may want to read: How do celebrities do denim?

Frame Denim

Started by four friends based in London and California, with the idea of creating the perfect pair of jeans, their main focus is on the quality, fit and fabric that incorporates the best of both cities. Along with churning out hits like ‘Le Skinny’ and ‘Le Garcon’, Frame Denim has also had famous collaborators — supermodel Karlie Kloss for jeans with a longer leg, and photographers Inez and Vinoodh for a slouchy-skinny hybrid.

Frame-denim.com

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Marques‘Almeida

Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, the Portuguese duo behind Marques’Almeida, embody the ’90s. Their label started in 2011, with a focus on frayed denim in deconstructed silhouettes, and has gone on to become a London Fashion Week favourite. While they have branched out to using other fabrics like chiffon and brocade, denim lies at the heart of the brand. Their S/S 15 offerings range from a matchy skirt and trucker jacket set in their signature barely-blue and raw indigo to straight-fit jeans with broad turned-up cuffs.

Marquesalmeida.com

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Rashmi Varma

Having launched her eponymous label in 2013, Varma has gone on to create collections that are strong on sustainability and practicality. As part of her S/S 15 range, she introduced denim that strays away from predictable treatments. Made with khadi denim, the pieces feature shisha-work, thick pleats, frayed hems and boxy shapes.

Rashmivarma.com

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Whether they are doused with embroidery, beautifully frayed or classics with subtle tweaks — the revamped codes for summer denim are right here. And it’s all thanks to young labels like Marques’Almeida, Frame Denim, Rashmi Varma and Faustine Steinmetz, to name a few, whose styles go from Western-inspired to artfully distressed.  

Flip through the gallery for our round-up

Photographs: Imaxtree.com/Alessandro Lucioni (Runway)