The 13th Annual Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion Show, presented by BlackBerry and T-Mobile USA, Inc. will launch New York Fashionweek on Wednesday, September 5th with an accessories presentation featuring four designers & a runway show debuting six womenswear and two menswear designers, followed by a star-studded afterparty featuring the North American tour kick-off of Slinky Vagabond - comprised of Bowie guitarist Earl Slick, Blondie’s Clem Burke, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols, and Gen Art Fresh Faces alum Keanan Duffty, who will soon be launching a limited edition collection for Target.
Along with Keanan, Fresh Faces in Fashion - the largest national program
showcasing emerging designers in the United States - has debuted some of today’s most notable rising fashion stars, including Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor, Philip Lim (Development), Chaiken, Cloak, Eugenia Kim, Hollywould, Milly, Twinkle, Duckie Brown, and Sari Gueron. (Look out for Fresh Faces in Chicago (10/9) & Los Angeles on 10/12.) “We are thrilled to present the runway debut of such a diverse and talented group of new designers at this year’s Fresh Faces in Fashion show," notes Gen Art Fashion Director, Lee
Trimble. "They all show a great deal of promise and represent the future of
fashion, and we are happy to be able to give them more exposure with
important members of the industry."
Additionally, Fresh Faces successfully addresses another grim fact of life for the indie designer: funding (or generally lack thereof). That Gen Art'ers are even able to show and have their work promoted is thanks to generous corporate support from BlackBerry, T-Mobile, Acura, Bawls Guaranexx, BOTOX (Botulinum Toxin Type A), Budweiser Select, Ecru New York (hair styling), Fiji Water, the IN:NYC Card from American Express, MAC Cosmetics, MuseBox, New
York Magazine and P.I.N.K. Vodka. “We are extremely excited to have BlackBerry and T-Mobile as our lead partners, not only for our New York Fresh Faces in Fashion show, but for Chicago and Los Angeles Fresh Faces’ shows," agrees Ian Gerard, Gen Art's CEO. The sophistication and credibility of their brands and products align with Gen Art and the expectations of our consumer audience.”
Gen Art Fresh Faces Womenswear Designers:
Mooka Kinney New York designers Rachel Antonoff and Alison Lewis met as former roommates in NYC's West Village; both shared a love for haunting local vintage stores and exploring the magical wardrobes of their childhoods. Their colorful and whimsical dresses and jumpers are inspired by secret gardens and fantastical creatures, all reminiscent of treasures one might unearth in their grandmother’s attic. Currently, the line is available at Barneys, Steven Alan, I Heart, Shop, Satine and Jumelle and has gained high-profile clients such as Scarlett Johansson and Zooey Deschanel. (MookaKinney.com)
Grace Sun Korean born & Michigan raised, Grace Sun bid goodbye to twelve years of graphic and internet design and strolled confidently into the world of fashion at the age of 33. After studying at Parsons School of Design and interning with established designers Rachel Roy and Phillip Lim, Sun debuts her first original collection for Spring 2007, showcasing contemporary and timeless pieces that embody timeless feminine silhouettes in organic and natural fabrics. Grace Sun is currently sold at Barneys, Searle, and Milk in LA. (GraceSunDesign.com)
- Bensoni Benjamin Channing Clyburn and Sonia Yoon met while studying at Parsons School of Design. The designers collaborated on their Senior Thesis Project which earned them a nomination for the prestigious Designer of the Year award. Their collections include a luxe mix of fabrications such as crepe de chine, silk devore and embroidered lace. Their use of intricate origami detailing lends an innovative edge to classic styles. (Bensoni.com)
Dagmar Created by three Swedish sisters Karin Soderlind, Kristina Tjäder and Sofia Malm, Dagmar was launched in spring 2005. With a strong emphasis on quality, Dagmar unites knitwear, jersey and woven jumpers, dresses and jackets, and accessories such as hats and scarves. The prints are inspired by the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock and the colors and historical inspiration of the Art Deco era. (HouseofDagmar.com)
- Whistle and Flute Yoon Chang and Je-Won Hwang met while at Cynthia Steffe, where Yoon was Head Designer and Je-Won was Merchandising Director. After moving to New York from her home of Toronto, Yoon attended Parsons in NYC and Paris before being asked by Cynthia Steffe to work in her design department. Balanced by different skill sets, Yoon and Je-Won share the goal of creating a womens’ contemporary line that focuses on a masculine/feminine aesthetic with detailed technology-inspired details. Whistle & Flute was launched in 2007 and is currently sold at Otte in NYC and Hejfina in Chicago.
Delphyne Guiraud Hailing from France, Delphyne came from directing an embroidery firm that created work for such prestigious fashion labels such as Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, Celine, and See by Chloe. During those years she was able to develop her creative talent and has channeled her expertise and knowledge of quality and innovation into her own womenswear line, which embodies a directional, lanky, chic French aesthetic. The line features innovative fabric combinations like Viscose lattice on iridescent silk netting that reflect light, stripes that are alternately transparent and become optical illusions to create a graphic silhouette, and light tissue-like materials that fold and float. (Delphyne-Giraud.com)
Gen Art Fresh Faces Accessories Designers:
Madison Harding Hilary Rosenman and Barri Budin met at Skidmore College while studying art, and quickly discovered a shared enthusiasm for vintage fashion, contemporary design, and art. Following college, both moved to Manhattan's East Village and through their experience in the New York City fashion and art scene, they discovered a lack of accessible, retro inspired footwear, which would answer the needs of downtown city girls like themselves, with discerning tastes and a limited budget. (MadisonHarding.com)
Yarborough Former book editor Elizabeth Yarborough began designing jewelry in the Spring of 2006 in an effort to re-engage her hands and creative senses. Approaching the craft as a hybrid of many decorative arts – upholstery, millinery, bespoke tailoring and textiles, among others – she uses an unexpected range of materials, including yarn, tassels, feathers, gemstones, horns, buttons, and other ornaments. With a sense of humor, she subverts traditional wardrobe staples and reintroduces them as witty, wearable accessories. She was featured as an Accessories finalist at Gen Art’s STYLES 2007 show, and has since been covered in Vogue, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair. (YarboroughJewelry.com)
Knox After designing for collective AsFour and Sarah Luna, Jessica Maxcy began her line of handbags in 2006 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The line is a collaboration with her father who makes the custom leather and brass hardware for her bags while Jessica draws creative inspiration for the line from space vehicles and natural galactic shapes & colors. (KnoxNY.com)
Arielle de Pinto Jewelry Toronto designer Arielle de Pinto's debut collection of fine hand-crocheted jewelry is raw and voluptuous, transforming elemental nickel, oxidized silver and vermeil into intricate weaves. Her designs interplay pattern and weight in shapes that are elegant and easy to wear. Her line was launched in 2007 can be found at No. 6 In New York and Reborn in Montreal, and has been covered in The New York Times, Nylon, Elle, and Elle Accessories. (ArielleDePinto.com)
Gen Art Menswear Designers:
Young Meagher Creating “Test Garments” as opposed to seasonal collections, the Amsterdam-based Young Meagher project is a mix of art, fashion, and history - a signature blend of bespoke tailoring, workwear, motorsports and militaristic influences rendered in cutting edge new fabrications. Design duo Liam and Jennifer Maher are strongly influenced by the Militant Guild of Rural Tailors Standards & Ethics of 1880, modernizing menswear with the use of English barathea wool, Dutch silk, Italian
rubberized natural canvases and poplins, tightly woven cotton gaberdines along with waffle-knit thermal underwear qualities. Young Meagher has been featured at An Earnest Cut and Sew (New York), Naked (Los Angeles); Test Garments Three will be available for Fall/Winter 2007 at Isetan in Tokyo. (YoungMeagher.com)
- A-Z Before coming to New York in 2006 to
focus on outerwear, Canadian-born designer Dana Lee lived and worked in Helsinki and London. She uses performance fabrics like parachute nylons, polyurethane cottons and waterproof technological materials to make a fashionable and savvy men’s line that is both wearer-friendly and weatherproof.
- Lesley Scott
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