These Emerging Designers Are Doing Modern Avant-Garde Fashion Right

Avant-garde is one of the most explored concepts in modern history, scaling across art, fashion and architecture. Iris van Herpen, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen are a few leading names, who contributed to the establishment of avant-garde taste in contemporary fashion today. 

Currently, as the trend tides turn towards sparky yellow blouses and small rainbow rhinestones, these six up-and-coming creators are channeling traditional maximalism and surrealism in their collections for a palate refresh. Bulbous shapes, jagged spikes, pretty petals and blood-red ruffles are all on show from this cohort of experimentalist designers.

Issa Traoré

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Issa Traoré’s surrealist art features multi-dimensional explorations of Black heritage and the concept of “home” in the Black diaspora. Traoré’s brand, I.J.Traoré, currently hosts a collection of womenswear that delves into themes of global Black identity, dance, and biospheric connections to Africa, called “Radical Bodies.” Natural materials including clay and live moss were intricately included in the designs of some accessories and pieces, undergoing specialised ageing processes to produce the final looks. Crocodile-like texturing and constructed lace were also added to an exaggerated peplum dress, hat and gloves, creating various shades of brown that eerily honoured Black skin. Traoré, originally from Mali, evokes a romantic dedication to modern Black art & culture in his takes on historical and contemporary expressions of Black culture. 

Elliot Long

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Including a pair of metallic, knee-ripped torched bottoms captioned as “crack jeans”, Elliot Long of Elliot Long has an eccentric rendition of Playboi Carti’s opium fashion. Particularly fond of feathers and leather, this designer’s catalogue displays janky and inverted work on otherwise “normal” silhouettes. In a previous partnership with No Fear, Long’s athleisure designs have starred embossed leather jackets, spray painted Hermes bags and mud-marked tabis. Independently, fringed leather trousers, asymmetrical feather keyhole dresses and another silver “crack” burn jacket and skirt ensemble can be found in more recent projects. Elliot Long’s grimey London streetwear aesthetic calls out to anyone who can appreciate a dark twist on punk style.

Julia O’Callaghan

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Julia O’Callaghan channels the natural opposites of rigid and rough textures against soft and delicate fabrics, building a world of mythical and futuristic fashion through their garments. Debuting their graduate collection at the Central Saint Martins’ BA Fashion show, the juxtaposition of heavy and light or hard and soft appears constantly, in a kooky dance of beads, latex, ruffles and steel chastity bras. Waxed thread and beads are welded and hand sewn for each piece of their latest collection, as the New Zealand native Julia O’Callaghan gives sultry women’s undergarments and corsets a rough edge. Inspired by the mystifying beauty of the natural world and a fortified feminine style beyond stereotypes, this designer is bridging worlds that usually clash.

Ilya Migmoon

Ilya Migmoon has proven itself culture-defining already, with collaborations with stars like Cardi B, Rosalia and Joey King over the past few months. Seemingly debuting in 2024, the brand showcases ethereal gothic-romantic style with overstated body proportions and a range of fur, flower and hair extension applique. Mixing classic corsetting with bold burstin flowers and mulit-wig trains, Ilya Migmoon dares to push against the constraints of accessorising. Any texture is appreciated in accentuating the modest silhouettes with feather detailing or lace bodices. Sculptural and corporal, the womenswear collections are made with otherworldly beauty in mind, making archetypal cuts of dresses and suits into quirky one-of-one designs. Hailing from Russia, Migmoon is a prodigy in hyper-realistic avant-garde.

Andrew Curwen

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American designer Andrew Curwen has debuted in true Victorian-chic fashion, with fantasy and dark couture as the eponymous label’s playgrounds. Haunting beauty is the spirit of the brand, having previously collaborated on dresses and jackets with designer Sofia Morin for Lady Gaga’s concert film and live album, “Mayhem’s Requiem.” Also, with a seal of approval from designer Christopher John Rogers via Instagram comment, it makes sense that the brand continues to support other industry talents with edgy gothic fashion. New York Fashion Week will welcome another collection from Curwen, in Brooklyn, for their upcoming season this September. 

Zhang Yeeun

Just when flowers couldn’t get any more dreamlike, this designer’s world of fashion gives bouquets another breath of life. Zhang Yeeun, a South-Korean florist, has gone viral multiple times for her wondrous work with flowers. Bags, maxi skirts, angel wings and sculptures all transcend their typical forms with vibrant calla lilies, roses, anthurium and other plants replacing woven fabric. Spotlighted for weddings too, Yeeun has created a sub-genre of floral dress that combines fine art, craftsmanship, botanical studies and tailoring, for the prettiest of pieces.