New Fashion 2013

Source(google.com.pk)
New Fashion 2013

Since his 1995 debut, Belgian designer Raf Simons has been a touchstone of creativity and integrity. He started in menswear with his eponymous label, drawing on youth culture, music and political influences to create clothes that fused conceptual design with streetwear. Even now, Simons still talks to local kids in Antwerp to find inspiration for each new collection. In 2005 he joined fashion house Jil Sander as creative director, designing both menswear and womenswear. Artists provided his main inspiration here, with Yves Klein, Picasso and Warhol used as starting points for the collections, which were adored by the fashion press for their vivid colours, sparkling fabrics and clean lines. In 2012 he replaced John Galliano at Dior. His work for the French house has been an instant hit, starting with a couture collection last June that referenced the best-known silhouettes and looks from the house's history. Simons also has a reputation for being one of the nicest men in the business. Even some of the steeliest fashion editors have a bit of a schoolgirl crush on him.

"I find his outlook on clothes fascinating. He takes you to areas unrelated to fashion. It's  easy to take fashion at face value, but through Simons you realise there's more to it. It's exciting to see a designer with such an individual approach achieve what he has." Thomas Brookes, Bath Spa University

Firm favourite: designer Alexander Wang appears on the runway at his autumn 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City. Photograph: Brian Ach/Getty Images

Alexander Wang is very much a child of the 90s. He's inspired by the minimalism and functional sportswear that defined that decade's style, but it's his sexy reinterpretation of this that has quickly established him as a force to watch. At the annoyingly young age of 29, the Asian-American already has a commercially successful label and diffusion line, and this year also became the new creative director of venerable old French house Balenciaga. He's as interested in talking about business as design and wants to turn his label into a full lifestyle brand. No one doubt he will. His personal exuberance is a joy to behold. Most designers bow and wave at the end of their show. Wang runs down the catwalk.

"He has his own successful label and creates edgy clothes that women want to wear. He has built a firm following. I find his work dynamic; he always pushes for the new. I appreciate his view that, 'There is curiosity behind the contradiction that lies between refinement and the imperfect.' I look forward to seeing his work for Balenciaga and how he breathes new life into the label." Heather Archibald, Edinburgh