Karoline Vitto will debut her first fashion show at this Milan Fashion Week, backed by Dolce & Gabbana. The Brazilian born, London-based designer creates garments for women between UK sizes 8-28, celebrating the natural curves of the female body. Having grown up in Eurocentric Brazil, the beauty standards of a woman’s body were very stringent. In her designs, Vitto advocates for showing everything a woman was taught to hide, having particular cutouts in garments such as at the hips to highlight the natural folds and soft textures of the body. 

Shuting Qiu

Hailing from Hangzhou, Shuting Qiu boasts an impressive international background. With previous showcases in New York and Milan and now based in Shanghai, Qiu has had quite the worldly resumé. Having started as an artist before transitioning into a designer, Qiu’s artistic roots shine  in her remarkable ability to translate brush strokes between the mediums of canvas and fabric. Never straying away from her origins in the fine arts, the designer often pays homage to painters such as Bernard Frize for her last Spring collection in 2023 where she showcased her conscientiousness in uniting a variety of patterns and colourations. 

Avavav

If you’re looking for avant-garde, quirky fashion moments, AVAVAV is right up your alley. For her Autumn 2023 show, Swedish designer Beate Karlsson focused on creating a theatrical runway experience. She instructed her models to intentionally fall as heels of shoes broke off and bags fell to pieces on the catwalk. The theme of the collection was “Fake It Till You Break It” and it aimed to shed light on what luxury fashion truly entails, going viral on several social media platforms for its thought-provoking commentary. 

Paris

RUI

New York-based Chinese designer Rui Zhou pushes the boundaries of traditional silhouettes by redefining the way garments interact with the body. Her creations transcend the typical bodysuit or tank top which we are so familiar with. Being versatile in their use, her garments can be worn as part of an everyday ensemble, or in the case of Jennie from BLACKPINK, as a concert outfit on the Born Pink stage. Zhou’s design philosophy revolves around manipulating fabrics, in the form of circular cutout motifs which play with the negative space between the skin and fabric. Her innovative approach to design is also present in her use of the body as a frame, stripping away connotations of clothing to a particular gender.

Duran Lantink

Visionary Dutch designer Duran Lantink’s approach to fashion is one of deconstruction. He takes apart luxury fashion garments in order to completely transform them into new creations. From an early age, Lantink experimented at home with his family’s clothes, once combining his grandma’s skirt, a tablecloth and his father’s Diesel jeans together for a piece he created at the age of 15. He has caught the attention of countless celebs such as Billie Eilish who wore his custom designs for Dazed Magazine’s Spring/Summer 2020 edition. 

Didu

Di Du’s namesake label is a remarkable fusion of her Chinese heritage and her Belgian education at the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Art. With a keen focus on shapes, cuts, techniques and the use of sustainable fabrics, DIDU embodies hyper-femininity, subversion and futurism for women. By seamlessly integrating Eastern and Western cultures, she aspires to foster a sense of self-love and self-acceptance, empowering women to be comfortable in their own skin.