Oxford Fashion Studio returned to London Fashion Week to catapult twelve up and coming designers into the market with their Emerge platform. The show welcomed a full crowd in their unique space at Devonshire Square.
TOKYO TWIGGY
www.tokyotwiggy.com | @tokyo_twiggy
Tokyo Twiggy is a high-end streetwear brand offering not only comfort, but unique style that draws cultural inspiration from Japan and other countries around the world. The brand was started back in 2018 by designer Jenn Felts when she was still in the fashion design program at the Art Institute of Indianapolis. While in school, Jenn realized there was a lack of fabrics that met her creative needs. She started designing her own textiles, with colorful prints, designs, and words displayed across them. These prints have set Jenn apart as a designer and helped her build the Tokyo Twiggy brand we know today.
The Impact collection is inspired by several concepts. The textiles were made to look like kimono patterns using flowers of meanings such as rebirth and death. Shibari (Japanese Rope Technique) shows that women are both seen as objects and losing rights to their own bodies and yet women should feel free sexually and have rights to their own bodies without stigma. It is also used to show that women are bound. Impact refers to many things such as the impact of rights to women, to stand out and make a difference, and to be seen and heard.
“Clothing is a form of self-expression. You should not have to choose between comfort and style.” says designer Jenn Felts.
ANYSE MELLOTT
www.anysefashion.com | @AnyseFashion
AnyseFashion is the creation of sublime, one-of-a-kind garments for all. Each line is an experience per the audience as an illustration of art. With the use of hand embellishments, the brand gives the illusion of emotion, scenery, and more in draped fabric.
The Spring / Summer 2023 collection Silk Sprite takes the audience to another world that has long been forgotten. Mystical beings, called Sprites, flutter around in the deep woods with layers of silk draped upon them as they flit by quickly. Drips of detail come from their season and elements of control; from Spring to Summer and Fall to Winter. It’s an easy elegance wrapped into beings naturally made from Mother Earth as her protectors.
AnyseFashion is custom-made clothing that is an art. Each piece is made unique, so that there is no other like it in the world. Materials like silk Organza, silk crepe, silk charmeuse, and cotton sateen in mainly ivory were customized with paint drips in purple, pink, orange, yellow, blue, teal, and more.
The bran’s mission has always been about creating unity in the artist world through the work of fashion. Couture has long been a lead in the fashion industry and is an exemplary vision of art. Through the use of long forgotten techniques that date back ages, it’s a great form of teaching the community and bringing like-minded artists along to join the journey.
BERTH
www.berth.hk | @Berth_hk
BERTH is a mix of modern vintage style, color blocking, 20’s art deco, and La Garçonne look. Designer, Afa Tsang’s signature style uses geometric shapes and color blocking to create sculpted, yet modern vintage Art Deco looks. The core pieces feature flat chest loose-fit dresses with drop waists. Tsang creates her own fabric prints and colors that either evoke a nostalgic mood or come with very bold vintage motifs.
BERTH focused on the idea of ‘Vintage Bags’, inspired by all antique bags from the 20’s to 90’s for the Bags To The Vintage collection which is available now. The brand introduced a lot of decorative dresses, jackets, and ponchos along with the signature design style. These shapes and color blocking give an impact on the silhouette with geometric cutting, bucket style, embroidery and enlarged pocket details.
Tsang believes that “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
There are two BERTH stores in Hong Kong and one opening soon in London.
ARÃK STUDIO
www.arakstudio.com | @arak.studio
Abla and Raneen Kawar created Arak Studio as a social enterprise supporting underprivileged women, a success story in the MENA region since its inception in 2018. Arak is a modern resort wear label that transcends the realm of fashion. The brand preserves Levantine embroidery through its timeless and effortless pieces. It offers its customers traditional hand stitched embroidery using artisanal techniques on modern textiles and silhouettes to complement the modern society of today. The brand name Arak, which translates to “I see you” in English, holds significance as it honors old traditions by drawing attention to a fading culture.
Each garment narrates a wider story. In an effort to support and empower the local community, each piece is handmade by artisanal women across Jordan. By doing so, the brand aims to preserve the human touch whilst creating unique pieces. Arak’s high quality pieces are sustainable and friendly to the environment. By eliminating fast fashion trends, the brand aims to remain sustainable through its social impact, locally produced pieces as well as eco-friendly packaging.
The Spring / Summer 2023 collection, Digital Blur, signifies that the future has arrived: many of us are situated on both sides of the physical and digital worlds every single day. In this collection, Arak is pushing the boundaries of its new designs by experimenting with silhouettes, textiles, materials, and designs. From only using linen to playing with prints and patterns, Arak’s dynamic and ever-changing journey is evident in its collection.
“Our family always taught us the importance of holding on to our roots no matter where we are in the world, and through Arak we are able to carry out their teachings to keep our heritage alive . ” – Raneen Kawar
“I see Arak as paving the way in fashion. Entering a new decade of mixing the old with the new. Menswear is usually neglected in the Middle East so we wanted to give them the chance to also wear their culture on their sleeve while still being relevant today.” -Abla Kawar
Arak has been worn by influencers Ahmed of @twistedcurlz, Omar Sherif of @omar_cash__, Gstaad Guy of @gstaadguy, Ammar Al Homossany of @homossany, Ahmad Dabbas of @ahmaddaabas, and Panos Spentzos of @panosofgreece.
JANET MEDINA
www.janetmedina.design | @missjanetmedina
By the early age of six, Janet Medina already knew how to use her needle and thread to make dresses for her barbies out of leftover fabric her grandmother tossed while she worked on her sewing machine. Inspired by her ancestors, Medina has never stopped pursuing her career in fashion. Janet launched her first brand TheGoddessBoutique in 2019 featuring chic, sexy, and elegant garments. As she aimed to provide timeless garments in the fast fashion market, her true calling has always been high fashion, runways, and couture. Janet Medina designs are a balance of timeless elegance and ethereal energy.
This couture collection, Ethereal Energy, was inspired by spring and summer colors and healing stones that give the garments more individual meaning, appreciation and adds a spiritual concept to fashion in 2023. The designs highlight mostly soft summer colors with a touch of metallics. Medina designs with elegance and sensuality making her work perfect for an elegant event or vacations. To Medina, fashion is spiritual.
HANDMADE STORIES
www.handmadestoriesworld.com | @handmadestoriesworld
Handmade Stories is a female-owned slow fashion brand and social enterprise that supports women in rural communities in the Andes, artisans, and men in prison in Peru so they can reach economic independence and keep their traditions alive.
Elena Brook-Hart Rodriguez started Handmade Stories while stranded in Peru at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. She had been volunteering with indigenous women in rural communities in the Andes that don’t have access to the modern economy but now need a way to access it. She started the business to provide them with a fair income under the WFTO’s guidelines and help them keep their traditions alive. She now also works with other marginalized artisans and men in prison.
Handmade Stories has been certified by Social Enterprise UK and Good Market Global. It’s also part of Catalyst 2030, a movement to create people-centric approaches to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. And they won the Draper’s Sustainability Awards 2022 One to Watch category.
This collection has been inspired by the crafts of women in rural communities in the Peruvian Andes. Each motif tells a story about their lives, their traditions and their communities, and has been handwoven by women. The brand wanted to blend the traditional arts with modern clothing to give these women a fair income that will help their families have a better future.
The whole collection is made with deadstock fabrics made in Peru. The handwoven motifs have been made using a blend of alpaca and sheep wool, so they are soft to the touch.
SUKAZ
www.sukazjackets.com | @sukazjakets_
Each SuKaz jacket, created by Designer Susan Hollingsworth, is the product of 20 years living in international locales. The wearable art pieces serve as tangible reminders of cultural craft passed down through generations. Telling a unique story, threads of ancient traditions are interwoven with flashes of contemporary elegance.
Hollingswoth’s collection, “Moonbeams in Shadows”, was inspired by the fear of the unknown, something we can all relate to. Only when we embrace our fears and confront them head on can we overcome them. You can hide from the darkness but then you will never experience the beauty it conceals, the subtle shifts in starshine and moonbeams, the shadowed beauty of the wind in the trees. Relish the challenge of new beginnings and the commitment required to see them through and make them succeed. Revel in the light, but learn to revere the darkness.
“Break free from the darkness, threat cast aside
The Shadowdance reaps treasures rare
Flames in the darkness banish dusk tide
Embrace the mystique if you dare
Break free nightshades thralldom, from dark life evolves
Commit – new beginnings at dawn
Let sun’s light suffuse you, embolden resolve
The circle sealed, union, love song. ”
Verse by Susan Hollingsworth – Founder/Designer for SuKaz
Each jacket is a labor of love between designer, fiber artist and seamstress; a reflection of countless hours spent haunting markets and bazaars from Africa to the Middle and Far East, points along the Silk Road of Central Asia, and the mother lode, the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. The fiber art panel in each jacket is original, showcasing needle art techniques including embroidery, fabric origami, needle felting, ribbon work and appliqué. An individual panel can take up to 50 hours start to finish, not including the intensive training process each artisan undertakes to learn basic techniques.
Buttons are often hand-crafted, tatted, kiln-forged (metal) or kiln-fired (glass), and the fabrics themselves might be embroidered, manipulated through smocking and folding, or hand woven on wooden looms. Crafted to the finest detail, SuKaz jackets are one-of-a-kind works of art. For purchasing enquiries, visit the SuKaz website at www.sukazjackets.com
BANI PASRICHA
www.bani-pasricha.com | @bani.pasricha
The concept at Bani Pasricha is totally based on sustainable clothing, women empowerment and inspired by nature, travel, art and culture. The New Delhi based brand, showed their collection “TIMELESS” on the runway. This collection is a completely sustainable clothing concept. The white & gold pairing is a timeless, elegant, and classy combination . Even if you pull out pieces from this collection 10 years down the line. It will still be IN-VOGUE.
Pasricha describes her label as “a vintage art piece with a contemporary soul” which is embodied in each collection. The designer describes herself as a Privileged Hustler who has just begun her journey towards building a Legacy.
TBROWN
www.trbrownfashion.com | @Trbrownfashions
Tiffany Brown is a self taught seamstress who specializes in color cohesion and has a keen eye for textured fabrics.. Even though she has only been designing clothes for 6 years, she has made a name for her label TRBROWN. TRBROWN is a women’s ready to wear label that offers statement pieces for any occasion. TRBROWN has been featured in magazines and on websites across the globe, the most notable of these being VOGUE, TATLER and Vanity Fair. Brown continues to drive her label forward and the main message she wants to convey is “wear what you feel most comfortable in.”
The inspiration behind the brand’s Spring / Summer 202 collection, NEVER LATE, is a play off of their FW22 Collection MAD AVE. New York is full of the hustle and bustle and the fashion doesn’t get much better. With NEVER LATE, Brown envisioned “the women of New York are back and more stylish than ever. Don’t forget that they are also in charge and running MAD AVE. There is no rest for the wicked and you definitely can’t be late. These women are some of the strongest willed women who have fought to make a change in the industry and they are some of the most fashionable women you have seen. The fabrics, the makeup, the accessories… oh my”
The collection tells the story with layered faux fur, coiled wool, chiffon, and boucle in vibrant colors like teal, lime green, navy, and baby blue.Brown is a big contender in the fashion industry. She wants customers to wear what they feel most comfortable in. Notable fans of the brand are Bella Dose, Kira Dikhtyar, Jo Rosenthal, and Kelsie Davies.
TISHARTH BY SHIVANI
Tisharthbyshivani.com | @Tisharth_by_shivani
Designer Shivani Jain started her career when she was 19 and launched her ready to wear label Tisharth by Shivani 7 years back. Her brand was instantly loved by people all over the world with its sense of creativity and color aesthetics. Her brand redefines modern functional wardrobe. Shivani wants to provide her clients with wearable international fashion in finest material and quality.
Shivani’s latest collection, Psychedelic Rush 2022-23 was inspired by a street in Istanbul called Balat which has colorful houses. It was a beautiful and vibrant amalgamation of mellow pastels and pop shades that caught the designer’s eye. Metallics were added to follow the international trends.
Tisharth by Shivani believes in making women look sharp and edgy! The brand has been worn by Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Roy Haidari, Sanya Malhotra, Bhumi Pednekar, Tapsee Panu, Mrunal Pandey, Daina Penty, Jeanine Mason, Ava Dash, Cayman Vanderbur, and Britt Rentschler.
LONTESSA
www.lontessa.com | @lontessa
LONTESSA is a fashion label from New Zealand raised, Singapore based designer, Tessa Lont.
Deeply immersed in the rich tapestry of Māori culture and the wild, magical beauty of her native New Zealand, Lont takes her inspiration from the lore of her people and thoughtful engagement with the sustainability of materials and the elevated life cycles of her garments.
Lontessa is pleased to offer lines of Made-to-Order, Ready To Wear and Intimate Apparel. Her latest collection, Utopia – Āo Moemoeā, aims to honor the dream world, where fantasy infuses reality.
Hedonism meets homebody, this collection dances between the desires to relax and to revel. Inspired by surreal impressionism set in nature, step into beads, sequins and lace-adorned comfort in casually-cut and whimsical pieces that paint the scene for your own Utopia.
When life was brought to a halt, the lace and beads and sequin lay untouched. The art of dressing up and going out happened only in our dreams. So we ran wild.
In honor of: Igniting your imagination
A painter’s palette of blush, chartreuse, pewter, plum and celeste blue. Away from rules and expectations, a wonder world awaits. Explore what’s possible when your self-expression is the only limit.
In honor of: Finding the power in comfort
The comfort zone, reimagined. Relaxed cuts move alongside structured shapes for statement-making casual strength that define the everyday.
In honor of: The freedom to dream
Of color, of touch, of desire, of adventure, of contentment. From the heart of the home to the eye of the storm, we toast the reveler’s choice to elevate the ordinary.
About Oxford Fashion Studio
Since 2009 Oxford Fashion Studio, led by Carl Anglim and Tiffany Saunders, has helped 700+ designers from 70+ countries to launch collections into the UK, USA and European markets. The company began at Oxford University and then grew from there to London, New York, Milan and Paris producing shows and campaigns for independent designers across all four fashion capitals. The company has produced runway shows, speaker events, retail events, photography and art exhibitions, film screenings, networking events, live photo shoots, live fashion sketching, city-wide late openings of high street retailers and museum lates including a fashion takeover of the Ashmolean Museum attracting 2,500+ attendees.
About Emerge
Emerge: the new platform for emerging designers by Oxford Fashion Studio. Built with fresh eyes by experienced hands for a new generation of design talent. Created specifically to meet the needs of emerging designers: high-quality, industry-connected, cost-sensitive and backed by an experienced and friendly team. Design is about ideas and a diversity of ideas is in all of our interests. Lockdowns have hit emerging independent designers hard. But now, with shows scheduled for London in September, it’s time to emerge: www.emergeshow.co.
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With love,
FWO
