For Women by Women—Female Fashion Designers to Support on International Women’s Day

Five designers to celebrate (and shop!) now.

For Women by Women—Female Fashion Designers to Support on International Women’s Day

For American fashion designers, the past year has been a challenging one. To complete a collection during these uncertain circumstances is a commendable feat—especially at a time when we are all redefining what it means to get dressed each day. Now more than ever, women are placing increased value on wearability, practicality, comfort, creativity, and ethics in their fashion. And who best to respond to the changing tides than women themselves?

During our most recent virtual Fashion Week, I felt particular pride in the American female designers and the beautiful new collections they presented for fall 2021. Though we have many more shows ahead of us, on this International Women’s Day, I want to shine a spotlight on a few of my favorite female American designers—Studio 189, Collina Strada, Marina Moscone, Gabriela Hearst, and Dur Doux. Celebrate (and shop!) these five female-led labels, below.

Studio 189

I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson of Studio 189 this past year. Their beautifully crafted ready-to-wear and lifestyle products are handmade by artisans in Ghana. This season they staged a lively and joyful fashion show for their employees in their studio space in Ghana. What I loved about the collection is not only the sustainably dyed pieces, locally sourced materials, and commitment to ethical production, but how much consideration Erwiah and Dawson put into their presentation. Studio 189’s fall 2021 line celebrates the team that creates their collections and the pride, dedication, and personal stories that inspire them.

Studio One Eighty Nine red Ayumi Rayon hand-batik blouson-sleeve wrap dress

Studio One Eighty Nine green bubble and polka dots cotton hand-batik Mandarin-collar short-sleeve shirt-dress

Studio One Eighty Nine multicolor Masquerade indigo woven Burkina patchwork embroidered Alicia skirt

Studio One Eighty Nine yellow and brown fan cotton scarf 32” blouson-sleeve shirt

Collina Strada

I am always excited to see what Hillary Taymour does for her collections and presentations. She has built her brand on climate awareness and provides creative and poignant commentary on sustainability in all of her work. This season Collina Strada offered its signature floral prints in patchwork dresses, wearable trousers, and stretchy knits. The best part was her look book images—inspired by the Animorphs books by David Burroughs Mattingly—which really struck a chord with this millennial. Looking at the world vis-à-vis the Collina Strada lens is incredibly refreshing; it is a world committed to helping our planet in the most exuberant and creative way possible.

Collina Strada crushed-velvet longline coat

Collina Strada Ritual floral-print silk dress

Collina Strada scribble-print midi-skirt

Collina Strada floral print button-up shirt

Marina Moscone

Marina Moscone exemplifies modern restraint. With every one of her pieces, she is exacting in her cuts, quality, and precision. I can imagine the chicest of 1990s girls rocking her long, lean slip dresses and tailored coats. This season Moscone offered her version of the uniform. (A uniform seems to be the best-kept secret among the chicest women I know; they find what works best for them and wear it on repeat in different colors and patterns.) My favorite piece of Marina Moscone pre-fall 2021 is a tartan kilt that was cut up and reimagined in the most elegant way possible. I love how the designer knows what works for women, but remixes it in her own chic aesthetic.

Marina Moscone crochet polo knit top

Marina Moscone Peg Leg check trousers

Marina Moscone floral-embroidered chiffon dress

Marina Moscone patchwork long tunic top

Gabriela Hearst

Gabriela Hearst designs for the woman I inspire to be every day—a woman who is committed to a continued consciousness about the environment, a woman who is well tailored and deliberately dressed, a woman who has equally as much imagination about her clothes as she does practicality. For me Hearst’s fall 2021 collection seems to have hit every note. Inspired by Saint Hildegard of Bingen, a polymath visionary of the Middle Ages, the collection offered a multitude of sophisticated silhouettes in the most luxurious of materials. The crocheted knits have an incredible hand feel, and the leathers possess a soft and supple quality. Hearst seems to really consider how these pieces will feel when worn—a significant touch that a woman designing for women can truly understand.

Gabriela Hearst Tex cable-knit cashmere dress

Gabriela Hearst Hays crocheted cotton and croc-effect leather loafers

Gabriela Hearst Abbey lace-detailed silk dress

Gabriela Hearst Ihlen laser-cut leather-paneled silk and wool-blend crepe wrap midi-skirt

Dur Doux

Cynthia and Najla Burt make up this exciting mother-daughter label out of Washington, D.C. Their avant-garde tailoring has drawn a considerable following. This season Dur Doux staged its look book at an iconic D.C. hotel, an elegant backdrop for the collection titled Eclairage- Illumination. The designers offered the bright palette and grand silhouettes as they have previous seasons, but added some softer, more wearable pieces to align themselves with the changing times and their customers’ desire to entertain at home. Dur Doux technically translates to “hard/soft.” I love Cynthia’s and Najla’s points of view and the way each brings something different to their brand.

View the full collection at durdoux.com.

There are so many other collections I am looking forward to seeing—Fe Noel, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Tory Burch, Bode, and more. I commend all American designers for putting one foot in front of another in a year that has been taxing, but hopefully (as Collina Strada showed us) morphing and pivoting can lead to great things.

This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Allie Michler