Strike a pose: Vibrant young designers from the Global South
A new crop of designers is driving fresh ideas onto ramps around the world, as they redraw gender lines, and spotlight fading techniques. Take a look.
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F1 racer Lewis Hamilton wears a silk block-print quilt jacket designed by Gurugram-based menswear designer Kartik Kumra. The self-taught designer launched Karu Research in 2021 and works with handloom weavers from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, hand embroiderers from Delhi and West Bengal, and natural dyers from Karnataka and Odisha. He is one of 22 from around the world shortlisted for the 2023 LVMH Prize (which awards young talent with mentorship at the French fashion house and a 300,000-Euro grant). Rapper Kendrick Lamar and singer Joe Jonas have helped bring the 23-year-old into the spotlight.(Courtesy @karuresearch on Instagram)
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This year, Rachel Scott became the first Jamaican semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize. Scott’s label Diotima, founded in 2021, weaves traditional handicrafts such as crochet and macramé into garments made from fine Italian fabric (see design above). She produces only two collections a year, made entirely by communities of traditional textile craftspeople. She hopes to widen the definition of sustainability beyond materiality, she has said, by supporting communities in the Global South who live on the frontlines of the rising oceans crisis.(Photo courtesy diotima.world)
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Delhi-based Dhruv Kapoor, 34 (above), was the first Indian designer to showcase a menswear collection at the Milan Fashion Week, last year. His designs tend towards geometric floral motifs, maximalist prints and statement graphics. Most of the fabrics are either up-cycled or recycled. (Photo courtesy dhruvkapoor.com)
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Kapoor’s January collection, The Embracer, explores the concept of alter-egos and the importance of individuality, unconditional self-love and growth, through kitschy graphics of iconic monsters such as Godzilla, representing aggression; floral prints to encourage stillness; and lace detailing for a brush of romanticism.(Photo courtesy @dhruvkapoor on Instagram)
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