Meet 7 Emerging Designers Debuting at New York Fashion Week

The most anticipated part of summer is finally here — the New York Fashion Week preliminary calendar for Spring 2024 shows — and in it, some interesting sights to keep an eye out for are revealed.

Things are looking different this time around. With shows from Friday, Sept. 8 to Wednesday, Sept. 13, this season is missing a few notable regulars that have either opted to show off-calendar or ditch the city entirely — Marc Jacobs, Thom Browne, Rodarte, and Tom Ford, to name a few — making a huge cut in the official NYFW calendar. But there’s still a bevy of must-see designer presentations that will be too good to miss, including Peter Do’s debut collection as the Helmut Lang creative director, and Ralph Lauren’s long-awaited return to New York.

Like every season, we’re looking forward to newer names in fashion hosting their first-ever solo runway shows and presentations. When it comes to emerging brands debuting in New York, you can expect to see some familiar names on the schedule this season, like rising designers Sami Miró and Grace Ling. There are more buzzy newcomers straight from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists — Diotima, Kozaburo, and Melitta Baumeister. Labels Sho Konishi and Chan Chit Lo are also must-watch collections, and after graduating from their respective fashion programs in the last few years, they’re finally getting their start in the city.

With the Spring 2024 showcases right around the corner, check out the seven emerging designers debuting at New York Fashion Week this season that you should be paying attention to, below.

Melitta Baumeister

Melitta Baumeister is not only a designer, she’s also a self-proclaimed sculptor — and we can see why. The former Parsons MFA student who graduated in 2013 has had her eponymous label for a decade; she first gained visibility after debuting her fall collection with VFiles in 2014, and has since garnered a celebrity fanbase among the likes of Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

Now as a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, the German creator may not be new to the industry, but she is to the official NYFW calendar. On Sept. 13, she plans to release images of her collection digitally, and we can expect to see the upcoming line be true to her beloved, voluminous silhouettes.

“I would love for my customers to include the pieces they get into their lives. I’m loving the idea of wearing the garments for a long time, living with them through different situations, enjoying moments,” the designer told 1 Granary in 2021 about her designs. “Garments can shape you as much as they can impact moments and interactions, they are like a language on their own. For all this to be possible, we always try to design with an aspect of timelessness and elegance in mind. Avoiding temporary trends and short-term satisfaction.”

Chan Chit Lo

Founded by Venus Lo in 2019, Chan Chit Lo is a fashion brand with home bases in both New York and Shanghai. After her studies at Nottingham Trent University and Parsons School of Design, the Hong Kong designer has a knack for all things knitwear. Through her experience working in Hong Kong and New York with major brands such as Alexander Wang and Jason Wu, Lo has mastered her craft of flowy, breezy knitted pieces. For Spring 2024, she’ll be showcasing her conceptual works in person via appointments on Sept. 9.

Diotima

Diotima, founded by Rachel Scott, is joining the list of buzzy names hosting an IRL show on Sept.11.

Scott first launched her beloved womenswear label in May 2020, and her designs, mainly rooted in crochet, encapsulate all facets of Scott’s life and career. After studying French and art at Colgate University in upstate New York, followed by time spent at Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Scott told The Zoe Report that she’s always thought of launching a brand.

Keeping Jamaican and Caribbean artisans top of mind, her clothing speaks volumes through intentionally laced macramé that has attracted a growing fanbase. If there’s anything she focuses on, it’s avoiding being too nostalgic. “I think it’s really important to work trans-historically. I want to try to look forward,” she told TZR.

Grace Ling

An alum of Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design, New York-based Singaporean designer Grace Ling is a superstar creator in the making. She worked with top brands Thom Browne and The Row before launching her eponymous label in 2020.

Since then, Ling has curated a collection of subversive styles adorned with metallic motifs that speak to a futuristic lens. Her pieces are also a celebrity favorite, sourced and worn by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Karlie Kloss, and Emma Chamberlain.

Despite a growing following, the designer explained to TZR that she’s more focused on her craft than popularity. “I don't think I really cared about whether people would want to wear it,” she says. “I just think that as long as the work is authentic, people can appreciate it.” Her runway show is set to debut on the first day of NYFW on Sept. 8.

Kozaburo

Born and raised in Tokyo, Kozaburo Akasaka’s fashion ambitions led him to London to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins before heading to New York to gain professional experience with the likes of Thom Browne and joining Parsons’ MFA program.

There’s a reason Akasaka’s work has caught the eye of top fashion houses: his edgy designs are heavily inspired by the Japanese subcultures and street style he was exposed to during his childhood in the ‘90s. Since launching his namesake label in 2015, it’s been a priority to make timeless men’s apparel that still pushes the envelope. His keen attention to detail won him a slot at VFiles’ Spring 2016 runway show, and years later, he’s in New York to release his latest collection on Sept. 12.

Sami Miró Vintage

Sami Miró, founder of Sami Miró Vintage, has been leading the vintage fashion charge for quite some time — but it wasn’t the path she expected to have. The San Francisco native tells the CFDA that she was making strides at a successful tech startup, but Miró relocated to Los Angeles for a new opportunity. Little did she know that through working on a custom patchwork denim bomber jacket for a client, she’d create her own brand just 10 days later.

Soon after launching, Miró’s patchwork and upcycled designs have enlisted a celebrity fanbase of regulars: Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner, and Bella Hadid are just some of many who regularly sport Miró’s designs. Her rapid growth led to her Paris Fashion Week debut via a collaboration with designer Heron Preston for Spring 2020, and now, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist is set to have her very own NYFW runway debut on Sept. 9.

Sho Konishi

Sho Konishi, a New York-based fashion and costume creator, has tapped a design philosophy that transcends his work into meaningful reflections of human existence. The Japanese creative attended Parsons, Paris College of Art, and Tokyo Mode Gakuen College of Fashion and Design; his work has been spotted on top stars like Saweetie, Chloe & Halle, and even the performers for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. With his first-ever NYFW show scheduled for Sept. 13, we can expect to see the multifaceted designer stay in touch with his roots.

“I made my own definition of fashion. Fashion is basically creating, collaborating with someone’s life, in order to celebrate that life and then respecting the materials,” Konishi says of his work. “Fashion is not just a movement, fashion is about people’s lives. I don’t need to make just garments. I don’t need to make just clothes, fashion for me is more like performance art.”