Over the past year, Vogue Business has profiled a new generation of founders building both relevance and revenue by rethinking how they show up, scale and build communities. These labels are operating under real pressure, but finding innovative ways to carve out space in a crowded market, and in doing so, rewriting the rules of brand-building today.
Across the emerging fashion companies we covered, clear patterns began to surface. Here are the lessons shaping how the next wave of brands is growing from the ground up.
Build better DTC infrastructure
Given the shaky wholesale landscape of the past few years, many successful emerging brands have leaned further into direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels. In 2025, they took it a step further, investing heavily into revamping their DTC websites to improve the customer experience. Young consumers — the target audience of many of these brands — have been drawn to in-person shopping post-Covid, so it’s even more important that emerging names design e-commerce experiences that can compete.
In the past year, brands including Chopova Lowena, Julie Kegels, Knwls and Oude Waag have each fully rebuilt their e-commerce sites. In many cases, brands work with external partners to design and program their sites. Knwls hired two friends, an art director and a programmer. “Even if we improve conversion by 1%, it’s tons of money,” co-founder Alexandre Arsenault told Vogue Business. Meanwhile, Chopova Lowena used its prize winnings from the Vogue/BFC Designer Fashion Fund to expand its DTC business, and Chinese brand Oude Waag was able to expand DTC from 20% to just over 50% of its business in less than a year by launching on China marketplace Tmall.
The investment signals a deepened understanding that owned channels can drive credibility, conversion and data visibility. It’s a reminder that in an era of fluctuating wholesale, control of the customer journey is a valuable asset.
Test and learn pre-runway
A fashion show has long been the pinnacle of ambition for many emerging designers, but today, they are rethinking that playbook. Instead of using the runway to introduce themselves to the industry, they are planting the seeds far before.
For many, this comes in the form of presentations. London’s Talia Byre hosted intimate, on-schedule presentations to gain industry attention before her September debut, when she also secured Ugg as a sponsor. Byre was even able to launch bridal, a key revenue driver, thanks to word-of-mouth referrals. Likewise, New York’s Lii became an industry darling, boasting sample requests for top shoots with Greta Lee and Ayo Edebiri, as well as invite-only appointments at fashion week before graduating to a show in September. Milan’s Giuseppe di Morabito and Copenhagen’s Anne Sofie Madsen developed their brands for many years before showing on-schedule.
The benefit is a feedback loop — with stockists, editors and customers — which can allow brands to test, adapt and build credibility long before committing to the cost and scrutiny of a full-scale show. Even in the best of economic times, small brands are tight on cash, so building momentum before a runway moment can be a smart strategy.
Develop an IRL community
The strongest breakout labels are supported by a community behind them. In 2025, these disruptors have turned to physical gatherings — informal meet-ups, intimate fittings and community-driven shows — to create a connection that is hard to replicate online.
Cult label August Barron — formerly known as All-In — hosted an off-schedule show in a Parisian night club, which felt less like a fashion show and more like a fan meet-up. Jewelry label Heaven Mayhem hosts pop-ups to deepen connections with its fan base, most recently at Selfridges earlier this year. Represent hosts a run club for its community, tied to its activewear line 247. EB Denim founder Elena Bonvicini says she relies more on word of mouth than paid advertising, often inviting influencers and stylists who come into the store to join her upstairs in her office and share feedback on new designs. “Literally, the information will go directly upstairs and it will be in the next production,” Bonvicini says.
Instagram content
In an oversaturated digital landscape, physical connection — in whatever form — has become a powerful competitive advantage for fashion disruptors.
Engineer virality
Virality sometimes feels more like an art than a science, but today’s emerging designers have learned how to deliberately cultivate it.
Heaven Mayhem founder Pia Mance took a guerilla approach. She approached Hailey Bieber in a café in LA and offered to send some earrings to her. The next day, an assistant to Bieber’s stylist requested the earrings. While not every founder will find themselves in that lucky position, the takeaway is that a scrappy approach that takes advantage of whatever environment you’re in can pay off.
Meanwhile, Anne Sofie Madsen’s rat bags went viral after the brand requested editors wear them to their show. An example that, in 2025, what used to be something brands stumbled into is now rarely accidental, it’s the result of intentional creative decisions that turn into cultural moments.
Obsess over a hero product
This year’s disruptors have built their brands around a single, unmistakable product that encapsulates the brand’s identity and converts awareness into repeatable sales. Rather than broadening out too quickly, these labels have doubled down on their hero items.
At Heaven Mayhem, it’s the viral knot earrings. Mance describes the earrings (which retail for around £80) as the business’s “bread and butter”, representing 50% of sales. For EB Denim, it’s about curating the perfect selection of jeans. Bonvicini is obsessed with product iteration, refining fit and washes repeatedly, and prioritizes designs that she expects to sell well. Comme Si is known for its luxe, functional socks. “Our core customer of Comme Si is a man or a woman who really looks for excellence and amazing design across their entire lives — their home, their wardrobe — they care about detail all the way down to their socks,” founder Jenni Lee told Vogue Business this summer.
In a crowded market, a hero product becomes both shorthand and a strategy, offering an entry point for customers and a foundation for sustainable growth.
