Photography by Zandy Mangold

Let’s face it, not every “club kid” even has a résumé, let alone one that includes YSL, Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa, and Narcisco. Since moonlighting as one-third of the infamous costumed club troop SixSixSick, designer Feng-Feng Yeh (appropriately pronounced Fun-Fun Yeah) has struck out on her own to produce a stunning Spring collection for her debut label Savant.
     Inspired by “medical braces at the turn of the century,” the collection plays beautifully with metaphor, a fleshy palette, ribcage-inspired looks, resin buttons molded from Benadryl tablets, and a bold necklace that mimics a jawbone with pearl teeth. From beneath the neon party flier abyss, Yeh has emerged as the talented party-monger-cum-fashion-designer to watch. While learning the trade through myriad internships, Yeh credits her experiences abroad with teaching her to channel out-of-the-box thinking into her work. Though she studied at FIT, it was her studies abroad at Polimoda in Italy where Yeh did “projects I probably never would have done in NY.” Curriculum vitae aside, boasting Leigh Lezark front row and Ben Cho as mentor pretty much makes you the coolest chick downtown, right? “I’m glad I partied,” Yeh says of her nightlife past. “I had fun, but also networked with a lot of creative people who are helping me now.” With her first collection still riding high from rave reactions, Yeh’s thoughts are drifting to the next. “One of the inspirations next season is black-figure Etruscan pottery — I can’t wait to play with that.”

Photography Courtesy of Nervous System Jewelry

Reading about how MIT grads-turned-jewelry designers Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg create their unusual Nervous System jewelry line is likely to give any tech-averse reader a headache. “Our trajectory focuses on generative design methods using both algorithmic and physical tools to create innovative products and environments,” writes the pair. In plain English, what they do is use software algorithms modeled after patterns occurring in nature (specifically, branching dendrites and the movement of particles) to laser-cut shapes in silicon rubber or stainless steel. The resulting coral and lace-like patterns are then fashioned into cuffs, earrings and necklaces that are delicate, strange and beautiful. As faithful supporters of open-source technology, the pair has made their code freely available via their website, where other designers are welcome to use the code to experiment and create their own designs with it. While Rosenkrantz — who later studied architecture — is obsessed with ideas of form and process, and Rosenberg — a technology consultant — likes to geek out on open-source creativity, we like that their black rubber cuff makes us feel like a hot, fashionable superhero.

Photography by John Horner

Long known for its traditional New England prep, Boston builds on its international pull of masterminds and the Achilles Project fits an important global niche. Part fashion boutique, part restaurant, and part artistic junction conceptualized by Michael Krupp and Shaka Ramsay, AP works as a solution for all those poignant consumer dilemmas we face today: local food, organic clothing, repurposed space, and investment in the community. The end product is several things acting in concert, while promoting sustainability. The space is a refurbished building in the ever-growing art scene of Fort Point Channel. Design team 3six0 lent their inventive solutions to this loft-like and modern setting of wood and steel, creating a shell that morphs from boutique to bar to lounge area.

Lara Kurtzman, a New York-based jewelry designer, is a fan of accessories that serve many functions. Her signature silk keychain is a perfect example. Made of sterling silver and hand-dyed, hand-rolled silk, it looks equally gorgeous looping out of one’s pocket as it does wrapped around your wrist or even worn as a necklace. Blending elements of European, African, and Asian design, it has a decidedly international aesthetic without losing any rock and roll cred. For hipsters who want to upgrade their look, this is the perfect way to go. You can check out Kurtzman’s jewelry line, KELACALA Q, at kelacalaq.com.

Photography Courtesy of Hartmann Nordenholz

What softens the cultural skin of couture fashion is the fact that we perpetually hyperextend it. Each season, instead of the outgrowths of developed folds, designers are driven to rack the surface of their collections with “new” ideas and “new” inspirations. Meanwhile, no one’s really encouraged to build off of old ones. So much of what’s exciting about the intimate German-Austrian collective Hartmann Nordenholz is precisely their response to this double bind: Simply put, design depth and continuity need not always get the short end of the stick.
Hartmann Nordenholz is the eight-year-old labor of fashion designers Filip Fiska (formerly under Helmut Lang) and Agnes Schorer (formerly under Viktor&Rolf). Although you might not have heard much about the collective, you can count on the duo to follow the wave of its 2002 Austrian Fashion Award (for contemporary design) to an increasingly promising crescendo.

Photography by Marc Hom

The Danish high-fashion label Noir makes ethical sexy. The company’s motto, “In darkness, all colours agree”, profoundly informs the humanitarian tone the label has chosen to take, along with the humane business model implemented since its establishment in 2006. As a member of the UN Global Compact, the company adheres to human rights, labor safety, and environmental concerns. Not that fashion created ethically is a new concept, but what is most striking about Noir is how much it cares for every facet of ethical business and how much attention is placed on the beauty of the fashion itself. Not a single detail is off.

Photography by Luke Abiol

With the world changing, exploring the science of clothing as a means for shelter and protection from earthly elements is increasingly in vogue, if not de rigueur. Moisture-controlling, anti-bacterial, and UV-stopping are terms that all of a sudden seem to make greater sense, and perhaps provide a marketing angle as well. Fusing this high design with high-performance technology is Berlin-based Acronym, recognized worldwide for its ahead-of-the-curve men’s fashion. The line, revered by techies, designers, skaters, and globetrotting surfers, hits the mark for durable sleekness. The pieces are intelligent skins ready for action with sophisticated lines and details not typically found in sportswear. Considerable attention is placed on well-executed pockets, hidden zippers, and special compartments for iPod and earphones. The handsome GT-J11 Jacket, a geared-up blazer made of hard-shell Gore-Tex, is still versatile enough to wear on the slopes of St. Moritz and on the streets in Stockholm. Cofounder/designer Errolson Hugh is known in this elusive market for marrying military concepts of armor with utilitarian functionality. His vision of hybridization was an out-breeding of his experience working in the German Special Forces and applying it to commercial lines like Burton and Gravis. His own line far exceeds anyone’s expectations in that marriage of fashion and form. And for this reason the hefty price tag associated with collecting the line works, in theory, as insurance against the prevailing environmental dangers we face today.

Photography by Noc-Op

If you’ve ever wanted in on the fashion industry but weren’t sure where to start, you might consider adopting a designer. Yes, you read right. A relatively new trend called “crowdfunding”, which entails several people making small financial contributions to a single project or business via the Internet, recently made its way to the runway via Catwalk Genius’ Adopt-a-Designer program. In addition to making the wares of various small, independent designers available all over the world, Catwalk Genius allows fans of particular designers to “adopt” them for 15 Euros (about $23). Participants in the Adopt-a-Designer program not only provide concrete support to their favorite designers, they also share in their designer’s profits, which are split between the designer, Catwalk Genius, and the designer’s supporters. Despite the fact that they have to share a portion of their profits, for the designers the program provides the exposure and cash flow to keep their businesses growing — and for burgeoning fashion moguls it’s a great way to get a feel for the industry without too much risk.