By Farah Amin
Olivier Rousteing
Olivier Rousteing got appointed to be Creative Director for the legendary fashion house, Balmain, in 2009 at just 25 years young. The Bordeaux native dropped out of law school and left his adoptive parents to pursue his passion and headed to Rome where found his start at Roberto Cavalli. He spent five years and then pursued Christophe Decarnin for a spot in Balmain, where he was definitely recognized and hired as an assistant.Rousteing introduced silhouettes for the real human body as well as proving overalls and patchwork denim dresses could be sexy.
Simone Rocha
London-based fashion designer, Simon Rocha was born in Dublin and just one year after her debut with Fashion East in 2011, Rocha was chosen by Colette Paris to design her Fall 2011 collection to display in their window in Couture week. After presenting her solo catwalk S/S 12 during London Fashion Week, she received a Newgen sponsorship and went on to show her A/W 12 and S/S 13 collections at LFW, which was critically, acclaimed.Rocha studied in The National College of Art and Design in Dublin then headed to London’s Central Saint Martins for her MA. She was awarded the Emerging Women’s wear Designer award at the British Fashion Awards 2013.
Emilia Wickstead
A favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, the young British designer keeps to boundaries and holds tight to ladylike classics yet keeping it youthful this season. After studying fashion design with marketing at Central Saint Martins, Emilia Wickstead launched her namesake label in 2008 to become known for her feminie silhouettes and soft petal colours and more importantly her impeccable craftsmanship. She has interned for renowned names in the fashion industry such as ProenzaSchouler, Giorgio Armani and Narcisco Rodriguez as well as Vogue before opening her own business at the age of 24.
Marco De Vincenzo
Rome native new kid on the block Marco De Vincenzo is a graduate of Fashion and Costume from the European Institute of Design. He managed to develop his own line which debuted in Paris and Milan in 2009 while running the accessories offering at Fendi. For A/W 13 his collection was inspired by nature and the Spatialism art movement of the 1940s, where it came apparent in his free flowing dresses. In the same collection the designer also showcased a sharp and severe tones of monochrome, grey and tan.
Dean Quinn
After graduating from Central Saint Martin in 2009 with the Womeswear Award, Dean Quinn worked for Versace for a year after launching his own label where Barney’s snatched his debut collection of bright motif dresses. The Northern Ireland born and London raised designer is known for his strange take on constructing garments and his simple, easy and sophisticated style.