You Need To Know Oude Waag, The Designer Behind These Red-Carpet Dresses

They say three makes a trend, so I’m calling it: We have a new king of the cutout dress on our hands.

Last week, Amandla Stenberg attended premieres in Los Angeles and London for her new Disney+ series, The Acolyte, wearing two dresses from Chinese designer Oude Waag. The first was a black long-sleeve number with an exposed torso from the brand’s fall/winter 2024 show. The second, worn five days later, was a terracotta stunner from the spring/summer 2024 collection that features smartly placed cutouts both across the chest and up the sides, finished with a silver beaded neckline. (If the second look rings a bell, the queen of body-loving dresses Megan Thee Stallion wore it to Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala this year, and Summer House favorite Gabby Prescod also just wore an Oude Waag dress to the Season 8 reunion.)

Jingwei Yin, Oude Waag’s designer and founder, started the label in 2018 after graduating from Central Saint Martins and working for Haider Ackermann and Hussein Chalayan. His designs are body-conscious yet never feel too sexy, as seen in the expert ruching that hugs the curves just so. According to a press release, he achieves this effect by draping on figure to ensure the fit is next to none, making for sculptural, sensual pieces that suggest an intelligence and respect for the female form — which might be why stars are gravitating towards it.

These slinky, sensuous looks in rich earth tones are his bread and butter, along with crisp tailoring, but for the fall/winter 2024 show, the brand debuted outerwear in luxe shearlings, proving Oude Waag is just getting started. And if these last few red-carpet placements are any indication, Oude Waag is a name to watch.