2014 in fashion: the ones to watch
Designers and labels:
Marc Jacobs
Watch out for Marc Jacobs next year, both the man and the label. Free from his former responsibilities at Louis Vuitton, Jacobs will be pouring his creative energies into his own brand, as well as the company’s upcoming flotation on the stock market. The creative team at Marc by Marc Jacobs has also been shaken up with Luella Bartley named as ready-to-wear design director in May, joining new creative director Katie Hillier.
Nicolas Ghesquière
One of the biggest names in fashion, in his 15 years at Balenciaga, Ghesquière created his own one-man revolution. After leaving the Parisian label rather acrimoniously (to be replaced by New Yorker Alexander Wang), the designer was forced to sit on the fashion sidelines for a while, until he was named creative director at Louis Vuitton. Big things will be expected from his debut collection with the famed French house, but judging from previous efforts we don’t think anyone will be disappointed.
JW Anderson
The young Northern-Irish designer has previously collaborated with Versace on a one-off Versus collection, but this will be the first year following LVMH’s heavy investment in his London-based label, and his appointment at Loewe (replacing Stuart Vevers). We’re already on the watch for some extremely covetable bags and accessories.
Versace Versus
After a successful first year post-Christopher Kane with rolling creative collaborations, Versus Versace managed two tip-top projects (one a runway collection by JW Anderson, the other a print-heavy ‘bootleg’ inspired capsule by M.I.A). The question to ask is whether they can keep it going… Will Lady Gaga (the star of the brand’s Spring-Summer 2014 campaign) finally join her friend Donatella Versace with a fashion collection?
Alexis Barrell
The young South African designer has lived in six cities, but is now based in London where she has been building buzz this year. We think that 2014 could be her time to shine. Picked out by Vogue and Elle as one to watch already, Barrell’s colorful, minimalist, metallic print silk pieces will be appearing in plenty of editorials this Spring.
Renli Su
Recently graduated from the London College of Fashion, the Chinese designer Renli Su created a hand-stitched, heavy-layered Spring-Summer 2014 collection entitled ‘The Inability of Humans To Stand Still’ which was warmly received. Keep an eye on her muted palette and earthy tones for Fall 2014.
Models:
Malaika Firth
Born in Kenya and raised in the UK, Malaika Firth is being dubbed the ‘New Naomi Campbell’ — not the easiest name to live up to. The star of Prada’s Fall 2013 ad campaign, she is the second ever black model to appear in the Italian label’s advertising (after the aforementioned 1990s legend). She also walked in the brand’s runway presentation (bagging a total of 56 appearances for Spring-Summer 2014), and then this November walked in the Victoria’s Secret show. 2014 will only bring bigger things for Firth.
Marina Nery
Born in Bahia, the Brazilian model walked the Spring-Summer 2014 shows for Moschino, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, and also found time for a summertime jaunt down the runway for the Christian Dior haute couture collection. A campaign for Miu Miu capped off a successful year, and we can only imagine 2014 has big things in store for the South American model.
Holly Rose Emery
The New Zealand-born model came out of nowhere this summer, but became one of the year’s casting hits. 17-year-old Emery walked Miu Miu, Chanel, Valentino, Dries Van Noten, DSquared² and Christopher Kane (among many others) all in her first full runway season this fall. We expect her to land a couple of major campaigns soon.
