Meet 9 Brands Who Are Breaking All the Rules

Image via Complex Original

How’s this for forging your own path: The American-born, Parisian-based king of the dark arts dated men most his life, then switched gears to wife Michele Lamy—his partner for now over 20 years. Owens’ cultish-grunge-meets-glamour aesthetic developed over the years without him looking at sales reports, sketching anything (he goes straight to the mannequin), or sending free swag to celebs. And on the runway, he’s no holds barred—his Spring/Summer 2014 show featured steppers recruited from U.S. sororities instead of waif-y models, and then in Fall 2015, Owens sent models down the runway with cutouts in the crotch—exposing their genitalia. That’s a pioneer with balls.

As American designers with no particular interest in the American fashion scene, NYC duo Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne may be the coolest kids in fashion right now. The fashion-streetwear hybrid has gotten big nods from the CFDA (including nominations for this year’s Menswear Designer of the Year Award and the Swarovski Award for Womenswear) for converging the world of suiting with sportswear. While the rest of the world focused on a preppy, Italian aesthetic, they thought up a cooler upscale look that revolves around tailoring and layering.

At only 27 years of age, designer Shayne Oliver already proved to be a radical in multiple ways: His designs, which stem from skate culture and hip-hop, are androgynous and gender bending—men wear dresses, women wear baggy trousers, and thanks to some strategically placed stockings and drawn on eyebrows, you usually can’t tell which sex is coming down the runway. His style is luxury with an underground attitude, and he’s revived the logo tee (you’ve no doubt seen some celebs wearing expensive baggy shirts with a big HBA splayed across the front), as well as the importance of youth culture.

Classic menswear accessories like pocket squares and ties have been given an intercontinental spin thanks to Harlem-based designer Niyi Okuboyejo. Instead of relying on nostalgia to bait his buyers, he employs a traditional Nigerian hand-dyeing technique called “Adire” to create the bright colors and vibrant patterns that give his accessories an African vibe. The fabrics are sourced from Italy or Japan, and everything’s sewn together in America. The end result is a collection of statement pieces that still blend in effortlessly with the rest of your rig.

Unlike other, more cautious designers his age, 24-year-old Ximon Lee’s fashion debut was trailblazing. The up-and-comer is the first men's clothing designer to win the H&M Design Award, after the Parsons grad produced a line that took the concept of oversized garments to the next level, incorporating seriously exaggerated and boxy shapes and synthetic materials like plastic and cardboard. His avant-garde styles were inspired by a documentary about homeless children in post-Soviet Moscow (and clearly won’t be available at Barneys), but we expect to see more from Lee soon.

Formerly best known as Kanye West’s creative director and best friend, the designer and DJ has more recently stepped out as a de facto hot designer who blends his street sensibilities and screen printed tees with other contradicting worlds. His Fall/Winter 2015 collection explored mountaineering and all the layers associated with it, thanks to his frequent visits to spots like Jackson Hole. He cites Martha Stewart as one of his top inspirations—but also Baja style. He’s created furniture lines and art installations, but also likes to DJ on the side. Abloh continues to move the needle because he won’t be pinned down. 

The L.A.-based brand has proved that it’s possible to get attention without being flashy (or a jerk). John Elliott, 32, has quickly developed a rep as being a fashion nice-guy, focuses on elevated basics like slim and slouchy T-shirts, sweatpants, stacked denim, and hoodies, along with monochromatic hues. A successful Fall/Winter 2015 show (with Victor Cruz, Kanye West, and Nick Young in attendance) has secured his status as a leader in the luxe casual movement. (Even if you’re not familiar with Elliott, you may have seen his Villain sweatshirt, a side zip hoodie with an interior front pocket.)

Most editors like to Instagram during fashion week shows—at Green’s first show in June of last year, they cried. The British designer called his first stab at the catwalk “a silent protest,” sending models down the runway in a rather vulnerable state, without shoes, wrapped in draping robes, and carrying wooden frames on their back covered in fabric. In Fall 2015, he continued to challenge notions of form and convention when models wore jersey tops with zig-zag stitching that made it look like they had been in a fight with a sewing machine. Green’s commitment to experimenting has us waiting on his next move.

Fourteen years after designer Hiroki Nakamura started his Tokyo-based business, Visvim has been able to maintain a quality and aesthetic that no other brand can match. (Despite the countless attempts at knockoffs.) The American-western style of workwear has a vintage vibe, but it’s stuff you’ve never seen before. He channels the past and the future; it’s rustic, rugged, and ultra-luxe. As in, most people’s eyes will bulge when they see the prices. But with a manufacturing process that focuses on naturally dyed fabrics (often by hand), vegetable-tanned leather, and handcrafted patchwork, it’s clear that Nakamura would rather you invest in one quality piece and hang on to it for a few decades rather than boost his sales by blowing through five.