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At only 22, Californian Austin Sherbanenko launched his own Los Angeles-based label Odyn Vovk after dropping out of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in 2007. Turning out a brooding, slightly savage menswear collection that contradicts the West Coast’s sporty-casual reputation, he’s already been picked up by, among others, Barneys New York in Tokyo as well as H. Lorenzo and Sartorialoft in his hometown.   MORE >>

At only 22, Californian Austin Sherbanenko launched his own Los Angeles-based label Odyn Vovk after dropping out of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in 2007. Turning out a brooding, slightly savage menswear collection that contradicts the West Coast's sporty-casual reputation, he’s already been picked up by, among others, Barneys New York in Tokyo as well as H. Lorenzo and Sartorialoft in his hometown.
 
For fall, it’s his leather outerwear that stands out, from a charcoal-hued coat Sherbanenko developed with an Italian tannery to hand-dyed leather jackets that "we made ourselves in buckets in the studio," Sherbanenko says. That kind of DIY spontaneity is part of the collection’s whole vibe. Odyn Vovk launched in spring '09, but Sherbanenko sees a silver lining in starting out during inauspicious economic times. "I have more time to correct my mistakes without it affecting me too much," he admits. "I don’t have to rush into anything." He might be a beginner, but that kind of slow-and-steady attitude bodes well for his success. odynvovk.com   << LESS

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Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos know that nature’s not just pretty; it can be pretty intriguing, too. Founded in 2007, the London-based studio, Peter Pilotto, takes inspiration from curiosity cabinets, Renaissance collections of bizarre scientific ephemera. What interests them is what interested those old collectors: odd, even surreal prints and colors hidden in nature. Their womenswear is inspired by Mother Earth, with patterns that look like magnified butterfly wings, iridescent oil slicks or veins of minerals shimmering in rock. Yet the silhouettes are flattering, not contrived. Already an editor’s favorite for the subtle construction and impeccable drape, the label is positioned to shine. peterpilotto.com   MORE >>

Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos know that nature’s not just pretty; it can be pretty intriguing, too. Founded in 2007, the London-based studio, Peter Pilotto, takes inspiration from curiosity cabinets, Renaissance collections of bizarre scientific ephemera. What interests them is what interested those old collectors: odd, even surreal prints and colors hidden in nature. Their womenswear is inspired by Mother Earth, with patterns that look like magnified butterfly wings, iridescent oil slicks or veins of minerals shimmering in rock. Yet the silhouettes are flattering, not contrived. Already an editor’s favorite for the subtle construction and impeccable drape, the label is positioned to shine. peterpilotto.com

“It started with a story,” says Richard Christensen about Commonwealth Utilities, the men’s line he designs in New York with Anthony Keegan. It’s the tale of a downtown guy who shuffles between loft parties and high-class offices. The story, in other words, of Keegan, a fashion world veteran, and Christensen, who runs the ad firm Chandelier Creative. The two met working at a bar in London in 1995, but started the line in 2008. The clothes are sophisticated with a sense of humor: tight plaid slacks, floppy bow ties and tailored trench coats. Given their knack for clever marketing, Christensen and Keegan often describe the vibe with witty analogies. “Like wearing a suit with combat boots,” they say, or drinking “Champagne with Oreos.” commonwealth-utilities.com

Before they started the Soho studio Form, Jerry Tam was planning on culinary school, while his partner Eric Werner was working in architecture. Created in 2006, Form is a bit of both. Their women’s line for spring of short, rippling dresses, angular coats and rumpled blouses has a strong, architectural edge with tectonic shapes and folds translated in translucent layers of Supima cotton gauze and luxurious silks. This fall’s line mixes that linear modernism with Tam’s kitchen dreams. The airy collection, crafted mainly of cashmere and silk, was inspired in palette and texture by—what else?—an oyster. formnewyork.com
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