A New Eye for the Catwalk

March 2013

Casey Jane T.

With fall and winter fashions shows starting up, everyone is watching for the next big designer to take the reigns and show the world their talents. Undoubtedly, New York fashion week is the stage that every media outlet watches for American brands and fashions next hottest designer, and this year, there are some strong contenders.

Tanya Taylor is a Toronto native who studied at New York’s prestigious Parsons school of design. Before leaving for New York, Taylor purchased a sewing machine for $49.00, which took her through Parsons and opened the doors of her career as a designer at Elizabeth and James. She will be launching her third collection and there is no doubt that this brand is maturing quickly, however, the line stills holds her witty, humorous, and whimsical aesthetic.

Marissa Webb, who has spent nearly a decade as the head of women’s wear at JCrew, trained under the infamous Jenna Lyons, and now has launched her namesake line at this year’s fashion week. This Korean born designer displays both masculine and feminine touches throughout her line and states that as a child, her tomboy-ish look influenced her tailoring. This unique brand is something that everyone is talking about.

Kaelen Haworth, another Toronto designer, studied at Dalhousie University and graduated with an English literature degree. She launched her KAELEN line in 2010 at NWFW. Haworth went to New York where she also studied in the Parsons design program, all while holding down jobs at MTV and Stella McCartney. Her line is ladylike and chic, mixing juxtaposition, drapery, and sharp tailoring that give her line a character of its own.

These three designers represent only a small portion of the new and fresh lines that are being showcased throughout fashion weeks across the globe. Other highly talked about designers include Valentine Gauthier, TOME, and German born designer Serkan Sarier of BROOD.