The 5 Designers To Know Before Their Red Carpet Debut
Mark my words!
Despite my best “gatekeeping” efforts, here’s another edition of The People Person, the ONLY newsletter that spills the tea on fashion’s hidden gems and (accurate) pop culture hot takes.
Last week… I declared the 2024 MET Gala a win (and even published a behind-the-scenes feature of Sabrina Harrison’s gold clock-inspired CHRISHABANA gown.)
Today… Here are five designers to know before their red carpet debut! Okay, some may have already made their mark internationally, but I’m betting on them becoming a household name in the US over the next few years.
Want to send me a pitch? → Email or DM me!
Lately, I have been into listicles. For my work with Beyond The Pines magazine, listicles are like John Green’s educational crash courses or, if you’re newer here, it’s your favorite mutual Instagrammer’s photo dump with the caption reading, “recently.”
But in true People Person fashion, we are talking about five fresh-faced designers who have been “entertaining” me lately, as drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 would say. Whether just graduated, dedicated to their feed slayage, or six coffees deep into New York Fashion Week—perhaps all the above— these talents are on the cusp of the big leagues. And when they make their mark (because they will), I want this to be their calling card.
Ahead, meet the designers of tomorrow, destined to body the stars walking down the future VMA, Golden Globes, and even MET Gala carpets.
Amari Carter
Back in September, I attended NYFW alongside The Amazing Magazine. During our visit to the Black In Fashion Council showroom tucked underneath Chelsea’s High Line Nine, I went into celebrity stylist mode, screaming, “This is so Ice Spice-coded! You need to call [Ice’s stylist] Marissa Pelly up,” as I eyed a showy reverse denim corset / top (shown above). Amari Carter, the Bronx-based designer and runner-up on Netflix’s Next in Fashion Season 2 is an It girl connoisseur with an edginess that’s equivalent to Sexyy Red twerking alongside Luck Bryan at his latest concert. Her brand ethos of using fabric to redefine contemporary fashion was stitched into every piece of reworked denim. Even reworking jeans into a halter jacket (above) radiated a certain aura of storytelling that made her clothing rack shine like a treasure trove of individuality and unbridled love. It’s about time she called up Marissa already.
Jordy Arthur Vaesen
Jordy Arthur Vaesen came as a result of Instagram doom-scrolling, in which his designs were the cure and inspiration for this newsletter post. The Belgium designer-entrepreneur already amassed over 400,000 Instagram followers who witness his eccentric appetite for luxury in the style of handmade Madonna-y coned/spiked suits, a Gaultier-esque recycled tie dress, and plenty of leather bag inspo. If you cruise his comment section enough, you will see lots of love from proper superstars, including musicians Boy George and Aliyah’s Interlude, fashion designer Bad Binch Tongtong, and drag royalty Raja and Shea Coulee. Also, Vaesen’s other feed/fashion obsession is tulle (and plenty of it), with the most prime example being the outrageously fabulous and properly oversized pink tulle hat (shown above) that would perfectly crown Lady Gaga’s head for Joanne 2.0’s album cover. [Hell, he could (probably) perfectly recreate Ariana Grande’s Giambattista Valli “cloud” dress.] And enrolling in Vaesen’s eponymous online design courses at JA Academy will have you making one yourself.
Christopher Seng
Since matching on Tinder years ago, Christopher Seng and I became Instagram mutuals long before his namesake label. We touched base here and there but finally had a long-form chat over Zoom last month, where I asked the multi-million-dollar question, “Who is your ideal celebrity client?” Without hesitation, he replied, “Lil’ Kim.” On a mission to resurrect the lost art of female-rappers-turned-fashion-trendsetters, Seng’s brand vocabulary includes the exquisite “Cunty Carmel Coat” (shown above) and “Hoochie Mama Funeral Dress”— a tribute to his Cambodian cultures as he remembers his late grandfather. Up the sleeves of Rick Owens and Balenciaga, the Parsons senior’s latest collection isn’t afraid to dive face first into fashion (no, literally) to better represent the undersung stories of other BIPOC creatives. Between me, you, and the four corners of this newsletter, this isn’t the last time we will see Seng on The People Person, and I want to save his awesomeness for later.
Surya Garg
New feminine-wear brand Soara will revitalize every It girl roaming Manhattan upon touching the Roger set (above) alone, thanks to emerging designer Surya Garg. Co-founded by Madhu Powar, Soara celebrates the duality of Garg’s South Asian heritage with her NYC lifestyle, and her muses (Soara Sirens) bridge her two worlds into something breathtaking. Working directly with artisans in India, Soara strives to be chic wardrobe staples, and the Josephine dress will do just that: a beautiful pure silk organza fabric collared shirt dress with black bows, pearl embellishments, and endless styling options— perfect for any time and season. Recently, Garg attended the fifth annual Gold House gala, the “AAPI MET Gala” in her words, wearing a picturesque lehenga (that she helped design) and watched “Icy” rapper Saweetie perform for the beloved cultural ecosystem’s event. Down the line, I can see Soara having a potential home in the wholesale platform The Folklore— their standalone showroom in SoHo had so much international talent!
Jude Macasinag
Despite only finding Jude Macasinag via his Twitter/X viral “HAUTE QUEER-TURE” collection (above), the Filipino designer already made headlines on Nylon, designed Miss Universe Philippines candidate Davao Alaiza Malinao's "liquid gold" evening gown— which took nearly 2000 hours to make (!)— and had his creation worn by model Lukresia for the September 2023 issue of Vogue Philippines. Per the “HAUTE QUEER-TURE” collection statement, Macasinag married underground Manila club culture (a la photographer Ricardo Yan) with his love for haute couture, which resulted in a beautiful juxtaposed design of “trash” materials and refined fabrics (like “dream denim”) that simply transcends traditional modes of queer storytelling. With Drag Race Philippines fashionista Marina Summers donning Macasinag as “the future" on Instagram, Macasinag uses other platforms like Twitter/X Jude to have discussions on ethical production and how “non-formal” (or casual) couture while still posting unseriously funny commentary on today’s fashion landscape. The Institut Français de la Mode student also has an immaculate personal archive collection (here), which reflects his avant-garde grade, made-to-measure eponymous business.
Now that I’ve played the role of The People Person, being everyone's personal sleuth, it’s time for me to call it quits here. Please follow me on social media at your own risk (i.e., an unbelievable amount of Instagram Story drivel.) Although I preview my written work on Instagram, you can read my published work in their entirety here, too.
If this reading left you knowing more, needing more, and want to include others in the fun, please feel free to do so by signing them up for a subscription. If they really cannot live without being in the know of the best and baddest creative forces, consider buying them a paid subscription.
This investigative madness wouldn’t be complete without my readers who simply want to know. Trust me, I've been there, and with every door slammed in my face, I find a way to weasel myself back in. And, boom, I’m back with a scary amount of secrets carried by my imaginary Fendi Brown Leather Spy Bag (personally brutalized by the Olsen Twins) and share them with you. And for just $5 a month, you can learn about fashion professionals not always included on magazine mastheads. So please sign up to be a paid subscriber.
Until we meet again! xo