The coolest labels we spotted
At Who's Next and Premiere Classe, Paris, we found some of the most promising labels


Wal & Pai
The Los Angeles-based duo, Hsuan Pai and Harel Waldman, came together in August last year after cutting their teeth at Taryn Rose and Elie Tahari. Their footwear experiments with shapes and textures — so you’d find pointy-toe flats, made with perforated leather, and ankle tie-ups, or scaly leather slip-ons, tapered at the toes.
Walandpai.com
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D-Antidote
The South Korean label is a tribute to Michiko London koshino, the It brand of the ’90s. Hwansung Park has worked as a design assistant at Tom Ford, Burberry, and Alexander McQueen. His streetwear-meets-luxe shirts blur gender lines.
D-antidote.com
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muku
The Japanese label makes bags that are woolly little tufts. They’re big on texture play, which is why you’ll see knits teamed with fuzzy wool, and hints of pastel leather.
Muku-m.com
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Julieta Álvarez
Spanish designer Álvarez likes to play with mini ceramic tear drops and spheres. They’re glazed with gold, doused with confection colours, and rendered in painterly strokes. She puts these contrasting pieces and shapes together with nothing but a simple gold string. The result? Dew-drop-pretty pieces.
Julietaalvarez.com
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The big hitters come out to play at Paris Fashion Week, but the buzzier trade shows like Who’s Next (fashion) and Premiere Classe (accessories) throw up the names to watch. In the 20 years they’ve been around, they’ve attracted buyers from around the world, in numbers that hover around 15,000. We even spotted Pankaj & Nidhi, Hemant and Nandita (regulars, we’re told). And this time, Who’s Next invited Debashri Samanta for her work with handlooms. We set out to broaden our radar, to find the hottest young labels around the globe.
SMK
Designer Sandra Meynier Kang of this South Korean label won the attention of bloggers and fashion buyers with her paper bag-inspired foil clutch. Her cropped jackets, fuzzy dresses and knitted tops though are a testament to her smart use of materials — a deft blend of polyester, wool and cotton.
Sandrameynierkang.com
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Lucas Magalhães
The Brazilian designer is only five years old in the biz, but his buzzed-about prints, resort-ready aesthetic, vivid colours and form-flattering dresses are already at LUISAVIAROMA.
Lucasmagalhaes.com
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White Posture
This Istanbul label explores all the possibilities a white shirt presents. A graduate of Domus Academy (Milan) and Esmod (Paaris), Pelin Dumlu, creates shirts with asymmetrical panels, broad cuffs and intricate surface textures.
Whiteposture.com
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Camille Enrico
If you had to cross-stitch metal, this is what it would look like. French designer Enrico lends colour to her medallions, chunky cuffs, and collar necklaces by puncturing them with vibrant threads.
Camilleenrico.com
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Passerin-nonpareil
Three architects based in Belgium, decided to apply their skills to crafting bags. When they did, they ended up printing photos of perfectly symmetrical buildings (snapped on their travels) onto Italian-made clutches and sling bags. Fun addition? Switchable covers let you transform the bag.
Passerin-nonpareil.com
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Ma Demoiselle Pierre
Safety pins and chain links dominate this French label’s metallic cuffs and necklaces. These statement pieces, which are otherwise free of embellishment, are punchy enough to get her a line with Reebok.
Mademoisellepierre.com
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Salomé Charly
When the daughter of a cabinet maker decided to craft jewellery, she turned to the one medium she knew: wood. French designer Salomé Charly’s hand cut pieces play with geometry. But we particularly love how she clashes tough wood with delicate glass baubles in her necklaces.
Salomecharly.com
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Bergnershmidt
If you imagined concrete jewellery involves heavy lifting, you’d be in for a pleasant surprise. Berlin-based Lily Bergner and Elisabeth Schmidt’s Bauhaus inspired rings and necklaces take on architectural forms with simplicity. What you are left with is impossibly light and smooth pieces with minimalist designs.
Bergnerschmidt.com
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