Coterie
Brand: Amur
Designer: Jordana Warmflash
Backstory: Although the women’s contemporary label launched in spring of 2017, its fall 2022 collection marks the debut for designer Jordana Warmflash, who joined the label in November of 2021 following her role as creative director for rtw label Novis. Under Warmflash’s creative direction, Amur continues to emphasize optimistic, feminine fashions rooted in sustainable fabrications and brand mantra, “A Mindful Use of Resources.”
Key pieces: The Cleopatra dress, the Giada dress, the Levona knit cutout top and Jena knit skirt, Katy dress and Nataly knit dress. For her debut fall collection, Warmflash also expanded the brand’s knitwear category and continued to focus on separates alongside signature colorful and printed dresses.
Retail prices: $286 to $698
Brand: Oncept
Designers: Megan Key Campos and Nick Lucio
Backstory: Founded in New York City in 2021, Oncept’s founders had a vision to create wardrobe staples with an incomparable fit to simplify life. The two are friends, coworkers and bring a shared experience of more than 40 years of footwear design. With Oncept and its seasonal edits of elevated essentials designed to fit incredibly well — each piece is pared down to distinctive and versatile simplicity that is effortlessly fresh. A key brand pillar is conscious fashion: “In all we do, a top priority is to make all of our styles using as many sustainable and certified components as possible, without compromising style and comfort, to minimize waste in sampling and no overproduction,” Lucio explained.
Key pieces: Standout trainers, retro sneakers, modern hikers, the ultimate dress boot and utilitarian boots, evolved.
Retail prices: Sneakers: $250 to $375; shoes: $250 to $300; boots: $375 to $500
Brand: Sundown by Splendid
Designer: Founded by the Splendid team. Sundown’s creative director is Holly Shapiro, who is also the creative director of Splendid.
Backstory: Sundown by Splendid launched in 2021 as the “Gen Z Little Sister” to lifestyle rtw label Splendid. The brand emphasizes cozy casualwear rooted in eco-conscious practices, including reducing water, energy and fabric waste.
“We were analyzing during the pandemic, and even before, sustainability as a whole and the whitespace in our brand — our kids’ line stops at age 14 and our Splendid collection line is really being shopped by mid-20s upward and is nongenerational. We were looking to capture that age gap,” Shapiro told WWD. “We wanted to launch this white space in our market — this youthful, teen line; it’s nongenerational once again. We wanted to fill the gap, but we didn’t want it to be more clothes in someone’s closet. Everything in this particular collection, Sundown by Splendid, we’re taking a lot of sustainable, thoughtful measures. Pillars of sustainability are about less waste in fabric — tight markers and low yield — as well as not heating water temperatures and recycling the water for the tie-dye. Thoughtful manufacturing.”
Key pieces: Youthful casualwear rooted in Splendid’s lifestyle élan. From fall: the Elle pullover, Boyfriend shirt, Tegan fleece shirt and half-zip, Bobbi cardigan, Vista T-shirt and Off Shoulder top.
Retail prices: Everything is under $100.
Brand: Sovere/
Designer: Jodie McKenzie
Backstory: “Designer Jodie McKenzie holds over 15 years experience in youth and contemporary design (MinkPink, Twiin, Staple the Label) across multiple brand categories (rtw, denim, swim, and eyewear). McKenzie has been a key architect in the conception, global expansion, and continuing evolution of these brands; and for more than a decade has mentored the creative teams working across them. Given the opportunity to concept a new label, Sovere/ leans into her personal design ethos and core design values. Prioritizing garment fits to best flatter and celebrate the female form,” according to the company.
Sovere/ was founded at the end of 2020, officially launched in February of 2021, and is designed on the South Coast of NSW, Australia.
Key pieces: Noble minidress, the Emerge knit reversible set, the Mode reversible dress, Mercy reversible set.
Retail prices: $139 to $329
Brand: Zandra Rhodes for Pologeorgis
Designer: Dame Zandra Rhodes for Pologeorgis
Backstory: Since the 1970s, Pologeorgis has been a “pioneer forging relationships between fashion design and the fur industry.” Although the New York furrier and British designer Dame Zandra Rhodes have collaborated since 1995, fall 2022 marks the brand’s first venture into boasting Rhodes’ hand-drawn original artwork beyond the garment linings and onto the exteriors of the collection’s myriad outerwear and bucket hats. The collection includes sustainable and ethically produced shearling, incorporating innovative techniques such as flocking, embroideries and printed designs and intarsias of Rhodes’ colorful artworks.
Key pieces: Signature prints on shearling bucket hats and Toscana shearling scarves; Flocked shearling flare coat; printed jean jackets in lamb; shearling gilets and vests; Mongolian lamb jacket in signature Zandra Rhodes fuchsia.
Retail prices: Shearling bucket hats start at $550, with outerwear going up to $4,800.
Brand: Ranjana Khan
Designer: Ranjana Khan
Backstory: “Embroidery is my superpower, which I learned from my family and home of India. My start was working with designers in Europe: couture for [Jean Paul] Gaultier, Armani Privé, Balenciaga, [Alexander] McQueen and Lanvin. After my experience with them I started my own hand-embroidered jewelry line in 2008, and the rest is history,” Khan said. Her brand is big and bold with stars like Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, and Cardi B wearing it. “We have grown globally and we survived the COVID[-19] hit because of Zoom calls and people only dressing up on top with earrings, necklaces, etc.” Khan says her brand continues to grow. “I find inspiration in my travel and in nature. I have everything from beetle wings, gold-plated Kale leaves, and semiprecious stones shown in my collections.”
Key pieces: “We are known for our big earrings, feathers, crystals, glam — pieces you can see from across the room,” Khan said. Pins are a big category for the brand, too.
Retail prices: $175 to $625 for earrings and necklaces from $250 to $700.
Brand: Harlie K
Designer: Harlie (Hyunjung) Kim
Backstory: “When I moved backed to Korea, I was able to realize how much waste came from moving and how bad the air quality became after years of energy and material depletion. As a mom of three, I wanted to contribute to a world where they could run outside without worrying about the yellow dust and have their masks on, or have respiratory and skin problems. Using the clothes, particularly denim that they grew out of, I started to create bags I wanted to carry myself. These bags were able to win the Reddot Design Concept award in 2018, and I went forward in expanding the line of products, which eventually became Harlie K,” Kim said.
Key pieces: Seolbim bucket bag, Jeanie mini tote and the mix-up traveler bag.
Retail prices: $100 to $500 for bags under the Harlie K label; $50 to $300 for styles from the younger-focused HLK range.
Brand: Tony Bianco
Designer: Tony Bianco
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Backstory: Tony Bianco was born in Catanzaro, Italy in 1947, then moved to Australia with his family in 1958. His career began at Pacific Melody at the age of just 18, and by 22 he began making sample shoe prototypes at home. In 1970, he started his first company, Verona Shoes, in partnership with Reg Reaves and Jim Lambert, which led to the first contract with Myer Department stores. Bianco’s passion for designing and making quality footwear birthed what is one of Australia’s most iconic women’s footwear brands.
Key styles: Myra heel, Fior heel, Jayze heel and the Fletcher heel.
Price range: $150 to $210
Brand: Fairchild Baldwin
Designer: Jill Fairchild
Backstory: Fairchild Baldwin began 10 years ago. “I saw a gap in the market for accessories that were contemporary luxury and that enabled a woman to make them her own and to project her own style,” Fairchild explained. “I started with a condensed handbag collection and won the Emerging Designer Award from the Accessory Council for them. But while women loved the bags — it was time for something new. From there we spun off a capsule collection of statement necklaces that ended up taking the market by storm. Today, a Fairchild Baldwin necklace is the most unique fashion accessory for women combining the highest quality of resin beads, our signature leather color and an adjustable magnetic closure. My motto is to invest in a classic wardrobe and add the finishing touches with an accessory. Accessories give women the power of flexibility when dressing.”
Price range: Handbags: $195 to $1,200; jewelry: $158 to $550
Key styles: “Our bread and butter for years has always been our signature Bella necklace, however this season we are introducing many new designs,” Fairchild said. Fall sees her combine translucent beads with delicate glass beads, a strong collection of matte beads and hand-painted leather colors. Colors include navy, red and dark hues coated with flecks of gold, marbleized greens and magentas.
At the Magic Show
Brand: Natori
Designer: Josie C. Natori
Backstory: Natori introduced a capsule collection of slippers and casual slides for fall 2021 to go with her loungewear collection. Now, for fall 2022, the brand has expanded to roughly 20 styles and 45 skus in an array of colors in calf leather, suede and satins in flats, loafers, wedge pumps, mules, booties and boots. “The concept of the collection is to extend the comfort and elegance of Natori dressing to footwear. I have always believe one doesn’t have to sacrifice comfort for glamour. This collection has all the richness of the fabrics, patterns, prints and embellishments that are iconic to Natori while giving comfort and glamour,” Natori said.
Key pieces: Pumps with a sculptured wedge heel and in boots.
Price range: $165 to $695
Brand: 1822 Denim
Founder: Peter Reganato, chief executive officer
Backstory: 1822 Denim was launched in 2015 “on the belief that denim should be fashion-forward, accessible and backed by purpose.” The New York-based line offers a contemporary denim range with inclusive styles spanning across petite, curvy, plus, maternity, maternity plus, tall and shapewear. Fall marks the brand’s expansion into specialty boutiques.
Key pieces: Tomboy jeans with frayed release hem; myriad “High Rise Demi Boot”; “Cheeky Straight” jean with patchwork and masking and matching jacket; the Vienna wash ankle straight with exposed shanks and released frayed hem; a high-rise demi boot deconstructed with razor cut hem; patchwork cheeky straight jeans.
Retail prices: $49 to $69