The Fashion Plate Magazine

When you think of print and texture designers, there are handful of designers that instantly spring to mind: Jonathan Saunders, who started out fashion life with his color-blocked bold designs in 2003; Mary Katrantzou, who seemingly single-handedly put on the map and cornered the market in hyper-real and digital print back in 2009; and Proenza-Schouler, the New York-trained duo whose rise began in vivid sharp shots of mesmerising texture and moving color.

For our annual, 3 part, Designer Watch: Best New Designers edition we shined the spotlight first on structural masterminds Concept Korea, Chromat, Dion Lee and Bibhu Mohapatra. And now we are looking at those designers who take the art of print and texture design to a whole other level. Hakan Akkaya, Libertine, Lanyu and Calvin Liu are our picks of the best and brightest to come out of New York Fashion Week for their focus on mastering a new era of mixing texures and color.

NYFW show scheduled: Monday, September 11th 2-3 pm EST

Hakan Akkaya started working as Design Department Manager in the Turkish textile industry for brands like Boyner Holding, Altınyıldız, and Sarar. In 2010, he established his own atelier and took Paris by storm. After winning the “Who’s Next Paris” and “Bread & Butter” exhibitions Hakan Akkaya established himself in New York and has been showing his collections there ever since.

NYFW show scheduled: Monday, September 11th 5:30-6:30 pm EST

Johnson Hartig is the founding force behind the LA based men’s and women’s ready-to-wear brand Libertine. The brand is all about whimsical signature graphics, beadwork, crazy embellishments and crystal design. Libertine’s in house designed prints reference art, fashion, history, design, travel, culture, and Hartig’s love of and work with rescue dogs.

Celebrities like Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift, Cher, Katy Perry, Usher, Gwenyth Paltrow, Gwen Stefani and The Chain Smokers have all flocked to wear Libertine designs.

NYFW show scheduled: Monday, September 11th 6-7 pm EST

LANYU’s namesake, Lan Yu started the brand in 2005. A child of the arts, Lan Yu studied ballet from the age of five and at the age of six began learning Suzhou embroidery, a type of traditional Chinese embroidery, from her mother. Her designs are a sensual fusion of  traditional Chinese artisanship and modern design.

Highly regarded in the industry Lan Yu’s sits on the list of  “China’s Top Ten Designers” by the China Designer Association, “Asia’s Most Influential Designer” at the Asian Fashion Awards, “Most Favored Designer by Superstars” by Cosmopolitan, Forbes China’s list of “2014 Forbes China 30 Under 30”.

Lan Yu’s pieces are regularly worn on the red carpet at Cannes, Venice, the Tokyo and Berlin Film Festivals.

Can you blame them?

NYFW show scheduled: Tuesday, September 12th 6-7 pm EST

Calvin Luo is a Chinese designer who at age 16 moved to New York City to attend Parsons the new school for design. His designs are often referred to as energetic and visually impactful thanks to his his playful fabric combinations.

But don’t peg him as a one-note designer. Luo says that he is looking for alternatives to prints and more personal messages that can be displayed through customizable text.

We’ll keep an eye out!