Thanks in part to social media, coming face-to-face with a new label doesn't even require you to get up off the couch since platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok are flooded with inspiration at every turn. And as an avid user of all three, I've racked up a healthy list of the new and new-to-me fashion brands that I've recently discovered and simply won't shut up about. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the below eight names are going to have a major year in 2023.
How do I know this? Because I keep hearing about these names from fashion's most influential insiders and can't stop seeing some of the most stylish women I know wearing them. What's more, they've each earned backing from leading luxury retailers in some way or another, whether it be jewelry line Jia Jia landing a spot in Net-a-Porter's coveted Vanguard program or Moda Operandi's Lauren Santo Domingo adding a crochet skirt set from Diotima to her own closet. A celebrity endorsement doesn't hurt either, in the case of Halfboy whose shearling-lined coat earned a spot in Kendall Jenner's Aspen-bound suitcase. All evidence aside, the clothes simply speak for themselves.
Scroll down to discover what makes each of these emerging fashion brands so notable and prepare to fall in love with them just as much as I have.
Barely a year old, Rachel Scott’s line is both a rich collaboration with and an homage to her home country, Jamaica. Her references and creative process come from dance hall, her home culture and community, the women in Jamaica who develop her crochet pieces by hand, and Ancient Greek philosophy (where the brand gets its name by way of Plato's Symposium).
If the romantic silhouettes crafted by Brooklyn-based Tae Park don't make you feel moved to your core, I'm not sure what will. After sharpening her design skills at Coach, Proenza Schouler, and Orseund Iris, founder Taehee Park finally launched her brand in late 2020 and has since earned plenty of adoration from influencers as well as being stamped as a 2023 name to know by Moda Operandi. The label is home to striking pieces that celebrate the female form, like a strapless top with an under-bust cutout or a poplin number with a generous collarbone-framing neckline, all filtered through Park's love of vintage and Southeast Asian upbringing.
Despite still being in its first few seasons, Interior has already managed to get insiders completely abuzz about its certifiable cool-girl aura. For a brand that launched in the middle of a global pandemic, the sheer crystal-netted dresses and slinky draped numbers that have become their style signatures are hardly destined for an indoors-only lifestyle.
Buzzy eveningwear label Des Phemmes is singlehandedly changing what party attire looks like. The Milan-based brand has captured the slinky, sexy allure of the '90s supermodel era with their hyper-embellished mini skirts, strapless dresses, and suits that are all surprisingly chill.
If brands like Tôteme, SIR, and The Frankie Shop are your sartorial North Stars, then trust me, you're going to want to get in on the irresistible tailoring of Beare Park. The Australian talent is less than two years old and already proving itself to be one to watch with its delicate spins on sensual minimalism. Moda Operandi's Lauren Santo Domingo just featured its maxi coat in Vogue's rewear challenge.
Jia-Jia Zhu has always been fascinated by beautiful stones—she used to collect them from beaches in California as a child, which ultimately led her to launch JIA JIA. Created for “all the lovers of our planet”, the jewelry is crafted in the house's atelier from natural, uncut and untreated crystals that are carefully hand-selected, so each one is truly unique.
Confession: I didn't actually find Marlies Grace—they found me. Normally I'd be the one seeking out exciting new talent to feature but when founder Verena Martin slid into my DMs last month, I knew I needed to learn more. Named after Martin's mother who was, according to her, "elegant in everything she did and wear", the newly-launched label brings that soulful feeling you can only get from shopping one-of-a-kind vintage into the present-day. Items like the cinched-in blazer and drop-waist dress offer the perfect 2023 updates to beloved vintage silhouettes.
Kendall Jenner has one of the world's most enviable jacket collections that spans collectible North Face puffers to *that* Loewe puffer bomber. Her latest addition? A shearling-lined style from up-and-comer Halfboy. Jenner wore hers in the most casual way with relaxed jeans, boots, and a tonal scarf while on a snow trip to the mountains and that easy-to-wear ethos resides throughout the rest of the collection with cool statement jackets that basically do the outfit's legwork for you. High on my own wish list is a boxy suede style adorned with silver studs.
Up next, discover 5 Black-owned brands and the It item that put each of them on the map.
