New Releaze pick the TOP 5 emerging designer in collaboration with Flaunter Media

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This year we had 69 outstanding fashion students showcasing their designs for Flaunter’s Emerging Designer Showcase. From this, we picked the top 5 that stood out the most. This was an exciting process, as all the designers were current, had impeccable execution as well as amazing vision in their designs.

The main categories that we based our top picks were on
INNOVATION – How different were the designs, have we seen similar designs before?
STORYTELLING – To capture one’s attention one must be able to tell the story not only through the clothes, but from the model and the background.
CREATIVE DIRECTION – The story of the design – can it capture our minds to sell the fantasy?
THE INDIVIDUAL BEHIND THE CLOTHES – Are we able to see who is the niche client of the clothing, is the clothing telling the story behind the person that wears it?

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Haniel was a controversial pick, the reason we chose Haniel was to represent the street culture. How street culture has moulded itself into a vital part of luxury fashion. Haniel’s designs were bold, excentric, inclusive and edgy. We believe that Haniel has the potential to go far in terms of scalability of the brand and vision. It also talks about the statement of the dawn of the new age. Face masks representing the rising need for freedom of speech and expression.

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Kim Clark did everything we wanted in terms of design aesthetic; the clothing, the tailoring, the material, as well as the overall presentation. We live to see pieces like these. Kim thought of the texture and the layering component of the garments which gives each piece a standout moment. One of our favourite stand out pieces was the velvet shirt with the matching suitcase. This brings Kim to the limelight of not only an emerging designer but one to keep your eye on.

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Maral has the gift for detail. In her collection, we believe she has thought and visioned her designs in a sophisticated and complex manner. The clothing is not the only stand out piece amongst the overly complex backdrop. We also see the idea and characterisation of the garment so we were able to tell who wears her designs, why they wear it, the fantasy of the person wearing and how it makes one feel. Sophistication in this level is a hard mastery even for big brands, and this is why we believe Maral is one of our top emerging designers this year.

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A pressing issue was addressed by one of our favourites in this years Emerging Designers Showcase. Sustainability is a huge topic in fashion at the moment. Being able to create art and fashion sustainably was exactly what Megan executed. As humanity progresses, a very important question always strikes up in conversation, are we creating a better future for ourselves? By using fashion to show what we can create from waste products, Megan showed that design doesn’t always need to be created from scratch.

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Jake Liu has created an astounding collection which encompasses all of our main categories we look for in an emerging designer. Jake took a risk in creating something completely original and different, which made him stand out from other designers. New Releaze believes that Jake has an original eye for innovation and uniqueness. The choice of fabric and the flow of the materials make Jake’s designs stand out. The campaign and the storytelling is simple yet effective giving a high-end feel. Not to mention the message that there is always room androgynous styles . We applaud Jake to be able to execute and transition the colour palettes which he chooses for his design. This level of details makes Jake our No. 1 emerging designer.

It was a difficult job singling out only 5 contenders from such a broad spectrum of talented designers – so difficult, in fact that we found we couldn’t complete our article without some honourable mentions.

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Joash Teo’s incredibly straightforward and clean collection Ephemera screams chic in a way that only minimalism can. The designer’s obviously intentional understated style speaks volumes in terms of the message that less is more. We cannot wait to see how far Joash goes.

Thomas Nguyen’s Whitehouse Syd pieces are the rare and beautiful combination of glitz and glamour in a dystopian world not so different from our own. The boldness and flare stand out, while not overpowering its viewer. It’s Mad Max meets High Fashion, in all the right ways.

Hazel Dong’s stunning pastel collection UTS reaches out and gently pulls it’s audience in. Poised, graceful, and even ethereal; UTS is a wonderful blend of otherworldliness and modern elegance that feels right at home on New Releaze.

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