Yang Li | Photo: Morgan O'DonovanLONDON, United Kingdom — This month, the Spotlight turns to Yang Li, a 24-year-old Central Saint Martins dropout and former Raf Simons intern, whose laser-sharp, monastically clean aesthetic is, surprisingly, the product of a range of reference points. “I got angry at school because they said: don’t look at other designers, you can only draw with your ideas,” says the London-based Li, who, instead, likens design to being a DJ,
Jin Kay Autumn/Winter 2012 | Source: Jin KayNEW YORK, United States — This month, the BoF Spotlight shines on Jin Kay, a 26-year-old, Seoul-born, New York-based womenswear designer who won this year’s Parson’s Womenswear Designer of the Year award, following in the footsteps of creative luminaries like Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler. “I always wanted to create something that didn’t exist before, but at the same time I want to make clothing that’s classic and timeless,”
Detached Sleeve Kandora from Thamanyah Autumn/Winter 2012 | Photo: Asha MinesPARIS, France — “I met him at the gym, in his boxing shorts, fancy sneakers and large Kelly Bag as a gym bag,” recalls Michèle Lamy — Rick Owens’ captivating muse, wife, and business partner — of her Dubai-born, Paris-based protégé, Ahmed Abdelrahman. “He was able, in a couple of months, to mingle Middle-Eastern and Western culture in a such a chic, clever, refined way — mind-blowing,” she exclaims. Indeed, Abdelrahman’s precise,
Laurenceairline A/W 2012 | Photo: Cyrille Robin for BoFPARIS, France — Many recent international fashion collections have been ’inspired’ by African culture and crafts. But why have we heard so little about designers originating from Africa itself? Enter Laurenceairline, a small Paris-based menswear label, founded less than a year ago by Ivory Coast-born Laurence Chauvin Buthaud, who seems poised to make her mark on menswear. “I mix different materials until I find the
LONDON, United Kingdom — “I like when people see my clothes and say, ‘oh, is that knit?’” confesses 32-year-old Lucas Nascimento. Indeed, the knitwear designer’s garments can be deceiving. His slick, sculpted silhouettes and intricate textures make his pieces look more like they’re crafted from some kind of luxurious techno-fabric from the future than woven cashmere, cotton and chenille. And that is precisely the designer’s goal.
